The NYT has an excerpt from my book today, on a topic of unexpected relevance to this morning’s Twitter controversies: how polarization and geography let Republicans, but not Democrats, abandon the center. nytimes.com/2020/01/24/opi…
To win power and even to win primaries, Democratic candidates have to win over a much broader, more diverse, more fractious coalition than Republicans.
Republicans, meanwhile, have a more homogenous coalition, and a path to power that doesn’t require popular majorities for the presidency, senate, or house.
this is why democratization needs to be at the center of any agenda to repair American politics. until Republicans also need to compete for a majority of votes in a diversifying America, they won’t reform.
and it’s also why democratic politicians are constantly frustrating the progressive base: they know they need to win center-right voters to win power.
