• PugJesus@lemmy.world
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    25 days ago

    Mine is, ā€œYou canā€™t expect demographic groups to show up for you at the ballot box when you donā€™t campaign for them.ā€

    Yes, youā€™re saying progressives didnā€™t show up at the ballot box because they werenā€™t campaigned for, right?

    • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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      25 days ago

      Iā€™m saying that having depressed turnout with a group that you didnā€™t campaign for, and adopted policies that are antithetical towards their value, is a completely predictable outcome. Are you going to pretend you were saying the same thing when you said:

      according to you, the loss was caused by progressives not being enthused enough because they werenā€™t pandered to.

      or:

      Your argument is that progressives chose to sit out and not vote over voting for a corporate Dem against fascism, because the Dem wasnā€™t progressive enough for them.

      or:

      So your argument is, then, that progressives decided that fascism was preferable to a moderate liberal?

      Youā€™re going to pretend that we were saying the same thing? And that what you were saying wasnā€™t entirely framed around blaming leftists for the campaignā€™s actions? Youā€™re honestly going to pretend that youā€™re not assigning motivation and intent in your statements that Iā€™m not making when you say progressives, ā€œchose to sit out and not vote over voting for a corporate Dem against fascism,ā€ and that ā€œfascism was preferable to a moderate liberal,ā€ you absolute joke?

      • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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        25 days ago

        Iā€™m saying that having depressed turnout with a group that you didnā€™t campaign for, and adopted policies that are antithetical towards their value, is a completely predictable outcome.

        So yes, you are saying that progressives didnā€™t turn out because they werenā€™t campaigned for, correct?

        Youā€™re really desperate to avoid stating your position in plain terms.

        • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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          25 days ago

          LOL, nice sidestep on the second half of that comment. Anyway, sorry if my language hasnā€™t been plain enough for you, but I really canā€™t simplify it any further. Maybe you could have a friend explain it to you, 'cause I really canā€™t waste anymore time on this.

          • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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            25 days ago

            Itā€™s hilarious.

            You say that progressives didnā€™t turn out because they werenā€™t campaigned for.

            The opposition is literal fascism.

            Yet, according to you, that DOESNā€™T mean that progressives didnā€™t turn out against literal fascism because they werenā€™t campaigned for.

            Itā€™s like magnets repulsing each other, as soon as the two parts come near, the doublethink forces the two conclusions apart in your mind, even as you hold both of them to be true simultaneously. Fascinating.

            • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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              25 days ago

              At this point, writing is a waste of my time, so Iā€™ll just copy-and-paste the parts of the my comments that youā€™re avoiding in order to maintain your narrative:

              Youā€™re going to pretend that we were saying the same thing? And that what you were saying wasnā€™t entirely framed around blaming leftists for the campaignā€™s actions? Youā€™re honestly going to pretend that youā€™re not assigning motivation and intent in your statements that Iā€™m not making when you say progressives, ā€œchose to sit out and not vote over voting for a corporate Dem against fascism,ā€ and that ā€œfascism was preferable to a moderate liberal,ā€ you absolute joke?

              And by the way, if stopping, ā€œliteral fucking fascismā€ was so important to the Harris campaign, maybe Harris shouldnā€™t have waited until two weeks before election day to actually use the word, ā€œfascism.ā€ Seems like, if the entire pitch to progressive groups was going to be, ā€œmy policyā€™s donā€™t matter, you have to vote for me to stop fascism,ā€ they probably should have spent some time talking about fascism!

              • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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                25 days ago

                Youā€™re going to pretend that we were saying the same thing? And that what you were saying wasnā€™t entirely framed around blaming leftists for the campaignā€™s actions?

                I didnā€™t realize the campaignā€™s actions were ā€œFailing to cast the votes for the progressives who stayed homeā€, fascinating how voters have no agency.

                Youā€™re honestly going to pretend that youā€™re not assigning motivation and intent in your statements that Iā€™m not making when you say progressives, ā€œchose to sit out and not vote over voting for a corporate Dem against fascism,ā€ and that ā€œfascism was preferable to a moderate liberal,ā€ you absolute joke?

                Thatā€™s literally what youā€™re claiming.

                Youā€™re claiming progressives chose not to vote for Harris because Harris didnā€™t appeal to them, as a corporate Dem.

                The opposition was literal fascism.

                Thus, progressives who chose not to vote for Harris preferred not voting over voting for a corporate Dem against fascism.

                Like, this isnā€™t complex. Itā€™s actually incredibly simple. There are only two pieces to this, and you accept both of them. Itā€™s really astounding that youā€™re continually insisting otherwise just because it hurts your feelings to think about.

                And by the way, if stopping, ā€œliteral fucking fascismā€ was so important to the Harris campaign, maybe Harris shouldnā€™t have waited until two weeks before election day to actually use the word, ā€œfascism.ā€ Seems like, if the entire pitch to progressive groups was going to be, ā€œmy policyā€™s donā€™t matter, you have to vote for me to stop fascism,ā€ they probably should have spent some time talking about fascism!

                Oh, okay, so because Harris waited too long to say the word ā€˜fascismā€™, THATā€™S why the progressives chose, in your worldview, to let fascism win. Makes perfect sense.

                • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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                  25 days ago

                  I didnā€™t realize the campaignā€™s actions were ā€œFailing to cast the votes for the progressives who stayed homeā€, fascinating how voters have no agency.

                  The campaigns actions were, ā€œFailing to motivate progressives who stayed home.ā€ Thatā€™s how campaigns work. Candidates go out and get people to vote for them. Itā€™s the most fundamental aspect of an election. If you fail to get people to vote for you, ya did a bad job.

                  Youā€™re claiming progressives chose not to vote for Harris because Harris didnā€™t appeal to them, as a corporate Dem.

                  The opposition was literal fascism.

                  Thus, progressives who chose not to vote for Harris preferred not voting over voting for a corporate Dem against fascism.

                  Iā€™m claiming unenthusiastic people donā€™t vote. Your assigning the intent on what they preferred. Maybe some of them chose to stay home in protest. Maybe some of them wanted to vote for Harris, but low motivation and poor access to polling made them decide one vote didnā€™t matter. Thatā€™s why getting your base excited is so important, and why Iā€™m calling bullshit when you call it, ā€œpandering,ā€ and assigning them motivations. Do you get the difference yet? Do you see how youā€™re reframing what Iā€™m saying to absolve the Democrats of blame and places it on voters? Is that clear yet? Cause thereā€™s no other possible way I can say it.

                  (And donā€™t think I missed that little goal post move from, ā€œthat progressives decided that fascism was preferable to a moderate liberal,ā€ to ā€œpreferred not voting over voting for a corporate Dem.ā€ Real cute.)

                  Oh, okay, so because Harris waited too long to say the word ā€˜fascismā€™, THATā€™S why the progressives chose, in your worldview, to let fascism win. Makes perfect sense.

                  Youā€™re entire fucking argument is, ā€œprogressives decided that fascism was better than voting for Harris.ā€ If thatā€™s the case, shouldnā€™t someone have told the voters that was the case? Everyone knew they were choosing between a centrist and a fascist, even though the centrist didnā€™t tell anybody that was the case?

                  • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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                    25 days ago

                    The campaigns actions were, ā€œFailing to motivate progressives who stayed home.ā€ Thatā€™s how campaigns work. Candidates go out and get people to vote for them. Itā€™s the most fundamental aspect of an election. If you fail to get people to vote for you, ya did a bad job.

                    Okay?

                    At no point did I say the campaign did a good job? In fact, Iā€™m pretty sure I explicitly lambasted them.

                    Iā€™m claiming unenthusiastic people donā€™t vote.

                    Yes, in this case, your argument centered around progressives. So your argument was that progressives, not being enthused enough by Harris, decided not to vote, even though the opposition was literal fascism.

                    This isnā€™t complex.

                    Your assigning the intent on what they preferred. Maybe some of them chose to stay home in protest.

                    Oh, so if it was a PROTEST abstain in favor of fascism, that makes itā€¦ okay in your eyes?

                    That still doesnā€™t actually contradict what Iā€™ve been characterizing your argument as, by the way.

                    Youā€™re claiming progressives chose not to vote for Harris because Harris didnā€™t appeal to them, as a corporate Dem.

                    Maybe some of them wanted to vote for Harris, but low motivation and poor access to polling made them decide one vote didnā€™t matter.

                    So they wanted to vote for Harris, but decided that the threat of fascism wasnā€™t motivating enough.

                    Thatā€™s why getting your base excited is so important, and why Iā€™m calling bullshit when you call it, ā€œpandering,ā€

                    Literally what it is, whether you like it or not. My argument isnā€™t that campaigns shouldnā€™t pander to voters; itā€™s the idea that not being pandered to justifies whatever they do, up to and including welcoming literal fucking fascism into the country.

                    and assigning them motivations.

                    You were the one who assigned them motivations; namely, that they were unexcited for Harris et co. All I did was point out that that argument would mean that they necessarily considered their lack of excitement sufficient to stand by and allow fascism to win.

                    Do you get the difference yet? Do you see how youā€™re reframing what Iā€™m saying to absolve the Democrats of blame and places it on voters? Is that clear yet? Cause thereā€™s no other possible way I can say it.

                    ā€œAcknowledging that people are responsible for how they vote or not vote is absolving Democrats of blameā€

                    Okay.