anon
fastbreconomics.bsky.social
anon
@fastbreconomics.bsky.social
65 followers 31 following 64 posts
Bad takes on NBA, politics, and policy. Desperate to get away from the hellsite.
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FWIW I also think the progressive fantasy of "just run on populist left wing policy" to be stupid too! I just think we all need to be a lot more humble about what has been happening in the last decade of American politics!
I mean I don't think it's nitpicking I'm refuting his entire thesis, and I also don't think I'm trying to tell people to avoid moderating, but nothing I can do to convince a stranger what I sincerely believe, so.
Again, the idea that Dems need to strategically moderate on wedge issues they are out of step with the electorate on is reasonable.

That is not the argument Simon is making. He is saying that it is the silver bullet that solves a global phemenon and that everyone has simply stopped trying
I think it's much lazier to think that every single Western left wing party is making the exact same mistake and that being the sole thing to explain literally every single population in the Western world being radicalized to right wing thought
FTR, my opinion on moderation is that it works fine.

However, the thesis that the rightward shift of populations in the Western world is entirely because every single left wing party on Earth moved far left, and no other structural problems, is so insane in how juvenile it is.
his thesis is literally "moderation has never been tried", it's incredible
Moderation works fine, the point is it's not a silver bullet and doesn't solve the entire structural issues that have lead to the situation we are in today
It literally does according to Simon. He believes that everyone, including blue state Dems, need to moderate, because ree Dems won't be able to win otherwise because of nationalized politics.
Yes, you are correct. That's the irony of this to me though. Both the online left and the radical center are falling into the same motivated reasoning trap and failing to understand the complexity of the electorate.
You are correct. Clinton was the originator of the "New Dems" whose thesis wa exactly this. It is why he gutted social programs.

Of course, what a lot of people miss is that the political landscape was more complicated back then....most notable thing being that the GOP was the pro immigration party
The irony is the conclusion here is the same one Republicans come to. The preferences of cosmopolitan liberals in cities don't matter and should be borderline spat on.
I'm too lazy to screenshot it but he responded to a comment like this and no joke he said they didn't try hard enough
It's textbook motivated reasoning. It wouldn't piss me off as much if it wasn't being parrotted endlessly by people who actually have actual power in the party, and also election twitter people who know better
He believes the reason they don't elect Dems anymore is because the *national* party is too left wing for heterodox candidates to overcome. lmao.
Of course, the actual reason those reps got voted out was the ACA, which tends to happen when you enact any kind of ambitious policy proposal, meaning the "just moderate and you'll win elections forever" theory runs into yet another obstacle.
It's part of the issue, but the problem is most of the conservadems died after in 2010 and 2014, when the face of the party was Barack Obama, a guy Simon says every Democrat should be more like to execute on this theory.
The moral implications are so rotten because the point of a representative democracy is that every district deserves politicians who represent their views and that includes commie corridors!
My jaw dropped when I read that. The worst part is his defenders are pulling a sleight of hand in that they're arguing against a different point he's not making (moderation helps wins elections) instead of the literal argument he is (moderation is the silver bullet to win all elections)
His response to this is that they aren't trying hard enough. Not joking.
his thesis is literally "moderation has never been tried", it's incredible
Reposted by anon
absolutely hallucinatory man they really memory-holed her entire campaign
All we gotta do is:
1) Focus more on the economy and less about climate/democracy/abortion/identity
2) Moderate on immigration/crime/energy/culture

Problem solved, we win elections forever, right wing media no longer matters
Oh, and why have others who tried this trick failed you ask, and why might they fail in the future? Well, the answer happens to also align with my thesis!
This is a great addition to the "everyone is 12" theory. Apparently the last 12 years of politics could have been fixed with this 22 year old's one simple trick that no one has ever tried!
Reposted by anon
I find it very funny and telling that the WelcomePAC ""report"" was written by a guy who had a substack as a Yale student, got to guest write on Matty's blog and appeared on Slate's podcast in 22 because he is the son of one of the co-hosts) and then went on to work for David Shor and Future Forward
Reposted by anon
i mean, harris ran the campaign they’re advocating for. it probably etched out an extra point or two but that was never as important as the macropolitical enviroment (backlash from covid inflation) which, via association with joe biden, harris could not escape.
the democratic party’s basic problem is it has almost no control over how its message reaches the ears of voters, especially outside of presidential election years. but rather than devote serious time, attention and cash to that problem its consultants and pundits want to fight factional battles