Thread by @ObsoleteDogma

Younger Dems tend to be frustrated with the way older Dems, who came of age during Reagan, operate out of a constant defensive crouch, and I get it. I am too. But younger Dems need to learn how to talk about policies the way some of those older Dems—Clinton, Obama, and, Biden—do

Younger Dems want to be more ambitious because the party is consistently strong on the national level. The problem, though, is that that isn't enough. The way the Senate & EC give disproportionate power to small, rural states means Dems have to win in conservative places too.

Older Dems understand how to sell a more active government to more moderate voters, i.e., "a hand up, not a hand out". Younger Dems tend to emphasize universal rights—to healthcare, education, etc.—that the government should guarantee. Totally different political dialects.

Now, it's incredibly unfair that being a national majority doesn't mean Dems are a governing majority. But it's the way things are, and we need to figure out a way to win in places we're not.

That means talking about—popular!—Democratic policies in a better way.

Andrew Yang said that Joe Biden's superpower is he makes anything sound more moderate, and it's true. That is a political superpower—and it flies in the face of a lot of younger Dems who prefer to make things sound more grandiose by saying they're starting a revolution.

The Democrats' message should be simple: Republicans want to help people who are already rich, but Democrats want to help people *become* rich. Nobody can get there on their own, though.

We have to invest in schools, in a stronger safety net for families...

... by leveling the playing field so that big businesses can't just bully the little guy.

The point is that we need the government to create the conditions for everyone to have a chance to realize their full potential.

Democrats shouldn't describe themselves as socialists. They shouldn't worry about what people on Twitter think. Too often it seems like they're competing to be the leaders of the College Dems, and not the national Dems.

Democratic policies are popular. Describing Democratic policies as socialism is not. Describe them for what they really are: a ladder up for *everyone* to try to reach the top, not just the people already there.