Thread by @Historian_Matt

1) The NDP needs to get better *presenting* their platforms as common sense, modest Social Democracy. What do I mean by that? I mean they need to be able to appeal to centrists by not couching things in ideological terms, *without abandoning their core values or bold objectives.*

2) If you ask people if they want Canada to have universal pharmacare & dentalcare, free childcare & postsecondary education, while at the same time see the gov tax big banks, mega-corporations and billionaires more, the vast majority will agree. None of these things are radical.

3) But voters have been conditioned to believe that wanting more is unrealistic or unachievable. That such goals can only be ever realized very gradually, if at all. Yet all those aforementioned policies already exist in other countries, and are achievable with political will.

4) To counteract right wing populists like Doug Ford, @OntarioNDP **must** avoid the trap of attacking the premier as some bumbling idiot and presenting themselves as expert technocrats. This approach has always played into the hands of those like Bush Jr., Trump, and Ford.

5) Instead, we need to offer a bold, appealing platform but present it as a common sense alternative to what the PCs and OLP offer. They'll ask "how will you pay for it"; we need to retort that things like childcare pay for themself, and that big banks can afford to pay more.

6) For the federal @NDP, same deal. We need to have clear, concise and focused messaging on 7-10 core policies and present them as common sense and modest proposals. That's who you win over soft LPC/BQ/GPC supporters and undecided voters. #cdnpoli

7) I understand why some of my fellow lefties want to see an embrace of "socialism" and more radical messaging. This is politically foolish however, as the Corbyn and Sanders campaigns ultimately demonstrated. You can advance a bold agenda but you need to play to the electorate.

8) NDP can't play the same game as the Liberals, which as a status quo incrementalist party can afford to campaign to the left, since everyone knows they'll govern to the centre. NDP should consider an inverse; present their bold vision as a common sense centre-left alternative.

9) However once in power, provincially or federally, NDP should *govern to the left.* Use that opportunity to implement truly transformative and bold policies so that voters move to the left as well. Moderating goals AFTER winning elections makes NDP no different from Liberals.

10) We have seen this with almost every time with NDP provincial governments. Too long they have squandered opportunities to really push bold & transformative changes when they have majority governments. This needs to change. Campaign to the modest middle; but govern to the left.

11) People like @maxfawcett and I agree that you must understand the makeup of the electorate and be able to appeal to a broad majority of them. Where we diverge is that I don't believe the NDP must dilute their goals and brand so thorough as to essentially stand for nothing.

12) Better, clear and concise messaging focused on a few major policies, while presenting them as common sense alternatives is sufficient. I think where people like @maxfawcett and I diverge also is the need for NDP to govern much more aggressively to the left AFTER forming gov.

13) Neoliberalism has rotted out most of the postwar social welfare state and the hard won concessions of labour & social movements. The status quo isn't working for Gen Y and Z. That's why we MUST address rising inequality & implement systemic reforms. Doing nothing has a cost.

14) That cost is the rise of the Far Right, which exploits legitimate grievances of the working class. Eventually the electorate becomes tired of a complacent elite that allowed such inequality & lack of opportunity to arise in the first place, and the Far Right capitalizes.

15) Climate change, rising wealth/income inequality, the coming of AI and increasing automation, etc all pose daunting challenges. We cannot meet these challenges with small ideas and yesterday's solutions. Only truly bold policies will be able to address these challenges.

16) But here is where the NDP as a party needs to understand it cannot afford to govern modestly in the rare times it has power. And leftists need to understand our place in the electorate and the need for NDP to appeal to moderates *during elections* so they can actually win.

17) TLDR; I'm saying NDP needs to present BOLDER IDEAS but be better at MARKETING THEM to voters who are more centrist in outlook. Example; offer UNIVERSAL dentalcare, not means-tested, AND be better at selling it to voters. Problem with current NDP; weak policies AND messaging.