Thread by @PracticalLefty

@RiskyLiberal Nah, it was far more complex than that.

1] Involved conservative "think tanks" strategizing taking over down ballot offices w/re-districting w/each census so that despite a state being majority D, state leg. & congressional districts controlled by R's; "owning" school boards...

@RiskyLiberal ...and so much more "small time" thinking that, in aggregate=major power;

2] D's &progressives wrapped up in presidential elections thinking that all they had to do was get the right president w/the correct ideology, leaving practical politicking & long term strategizing to R's.

@RiskyLiberal R's capitalized on fact that lefties &even center lefties [formerly known as liberal R's] thinking conservatives, r-wingers were just too dumb bc most presented "born again" ideology & so couldn't be logical/smart, & the "little" offices were too little for D's to "waste" time w/

@RiskyLiberal Meanwhile big lefties of the 60's-70s--basically extra lib Dems--marginalized themselves, drawing long, broad, thick, nearly impenetrable lines between themselves & anyone w/least bit of corporate connections or willingness to compromise, dumping practical lefties in the doghouse

@RiskyLiberal Dual responsibilities here. We have to face our own failure to allow any degree of long term practical strategizing. Can't be disciplined bc any kind of discipline or long term focus smacks of fascism.

Meanwhile too many ideologically pure Dems jumped ship & let it all happen.

@RiskyLiberal "They are all the same, so why vote at all?" Or "they are all the same, so let's create a 3rd party [e.g., Nader, Greens]" knowing full well they had no chance.

So we now have 2 bad choices, but 1 kills the future of democracy, but oh well, gotta be ideologically pure.

@RiskyLiberal The ideologically pure left are no better than evangelical Christians who will vote for trump merely bc they see him as only chance to end legal abortion. Never mind all the rest. Alas, their candidate is in a Party that has developed greater economic therefore political power.

@RiskyLiberal Our only hope of maintaining semblance of democracy to keep progressivism alive & organizing against the powerful amoral minority is that enough ideologically pure lefties will recognize the life/death impact of choosing purity over practicality. PLAN LONG TERM SURVIVAL & GROWTH.

@RiskyLiberal FOCUS➡️down ballot...all the way ⬇️ to "lowest of the low" elected positions. That's how you create, maintain, & empower a true grassroots progressive mvt.

Yield a bit of ground to the corporates ATM to win the whole damn thing eventually. 2020 is life or death. Choose life.