Thread by @julianzelizer

Speaking in Berlin, @BarackObama shared his concerns about progressive Democrats imposing rigid ideological tests and creating a “circular firing squad.”/1
realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/04/…

Obama has a point. There is always a risk with heated primaries and caucuses. Many historians believe that Senator Kennedy’s primary challenge hurt President Carter in 1980. And other analysts believe that the Sanders-Clinton battles undercut her support./2

But it is also worth remembering that 2008 showed how robust internal debates could make a party stronger. /3

This was as brutal of a primary and caucus season as the Democrats had experienced in many years. /4

The fears among Democrats about how the in-fighting would unfold were immense. Democrats worried that they could end up ripping the party apart and hand Republicans a victory despite President George W. Bush’s high disapproval ratings. /5

One big concern was the ideological purity test, so to speak, of 2007-2008: where had candidates stood on the war in Iraq when it started. @HillaryClinton (as well as @JoeBiden and others) were attacked for their initial position on the war. /6
cbsnews.com/news/why-shoul…

Indeed, @BarackObama's early stance against the war in 2002 was the position that most energized his supporters. In this respect, he emerged as the progressive voice for purity. /7

@KevinMKruse discussed this in #FaultLines. @wwnorton /8

If you need a reminder of how bad things got between Obama and Clinton @joanwalsh wrote a good piece about this in @thenation. /9
thenation.com/article/the-20…

Here is an article in @guardian expressing concerns about the “circular firing squad.” /10
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

When the party finally settled around Obama, @nytimes columnist Bob Herbert breathed a sigh of relief. On June 3, he wrote, “The Democrats may finally be stepping away from their circular firing squad.” Here is some of his column for a taste of the moment. /11

Yet Democrats and Obama emerged stronger as a result of the competition. Also, the desire to fix what President Bush had broken was stronger than any lingering bitterness. Turnout for Democrats was high./12
cbsnews.com/news/2008-elec…

There have been other contentious—and crowded—primaries where the victorious candidate won the presidency. I wrote about Carter's experience in 1976 for @politico. /13
politico.com/magazine/story…

So while parties have to contain the in-fighting, it is important to recognize the value of this process as well. Genuine debates can help parties articulate their principles, refine their agenda, and test candidates before the real battle begins. /14

Right now there are vital issues being debated among candidates—economic policy, health care, racial justice, immigration, gender rights, criminal justice, foreign policy, and more. The party doesn’t need to run away from these. They can become the basis for victory in 11/20. /15

Ironically, @BarackObama should appreciate the value of vigorous primary competition more than almost anyone else. /end

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