I liked my first candidate’s authenticy, though she was maybe a bit too far left for my moderate to progressive liking. I supported her in the caucuses as did many in my district of moderate democrats, heck even our alleged “DINO” Congresswoman supported her. Even the “conservadems” admired her honesty and steady positions on the issues regardless of the current political winds. So like many supporters I joined her social media supporters and got involved in the campaign. But after initially being welcomed, I found my moderate views increasingly questioned by the candidates hard core supporters. It got worse- As the campaign failed to thrive and couldn’t grow beyond the core of supporters, that core of “true believers” advanced some wacko conspiracy theories to try to explain their candidate’s losses and personally attacked moderate supporters such as myself. It got to the point where Orders for Protection from at least one of the more extreme supporters were considered, and I unfollowed the candidates increasingly toxic social media.
So I found a new kinder gentler progressive candidate to support. Progressive on the issues, but he’s enough of a policy geek to give us moderates some buy-in on his platform. And as a rural democrat and Farmers Union member he rung all my bells on farm policy despite being from an urban district. So I joined the campaign, even made a couple trips to Iowa to campaign for him. But I slowly found that while this candidate strongly advocates for farmers, many of his supporters outright hate farmers. When I suggested there would be problems implementing the candidates health care plan, while he made adjustments to his plan that were responsive to my concerns, I was criticized in the campaigns online groups for my concerns. When I suggested that we really need some resources to get the campaign going in my Super Tuesday state which has early voting before Iowa, I was told to buy overpriced campaign materials from the campaign’s web store and finance the local campaign myself. When I pointed out that another candidate had an active campaign here and was winning over our supporters, I was accused of supporting that candidate. Today I have all but been thrown out of the campaign, even though the candidate is still my first choice on the issues.
My first candidate peaked back last spring, though she’s still polling in double digits. While her true believers still rabidly support her, they do a great job of purging the more moderate supporters the campaign needs to grow. The campaigns social media festers with conspiracy theories trying to explain the candidate’s dropping popularity. My second candidate peaked this fall but he’s still in double digits too, and as enthusiasm in the campaign has waned the true believers are taking over as the purges begin.
Not quite two months out from the Iowa caucus the highest polling candidate has not even 25% support while three others are above the 15% viability threshold for receiving delegates. My first and second candidates are polling just above that viability threshold, and fully a quarter of the potential caucus goers are supporting candidates who not only miss the viability threshold but are polling in single digits.
On caucus night that quarter of Iowa democrats whose candidates don’t have that 15% support will have to pick a new candidate to support. They’re not going to support the campaign whose cultist followers question their absolute political correctness, those diverse democrats are going to support the candidate whose campaign welcomes them into their coalition. To win the party endorsement the candidate will have to persuade other candidates delegates to join their coalition to win over at least 50% of the delegates. To wage an effective general election campaign they have to build the traditional “big tent” coalition of all democrats. And to win the general election, our candidate has to win over and welcome not only all democrats but independents and dissident republicans too.
We build our winning democratic coalition by welcoming our fellow democrats and independents and even republicans with respect for them and their diverse views rather than political purity tests administered by self appointed campaign PC Police. Cult campaigns may work for Trump, but they don’t work for democrats!
Sassy Democrat 