Thread by @RealRichWilkins

I was 18 on 9/11, 22 at the height of the Iraq War, 25 for the 2008 Great Recession, and 33 when Trump took office. I’m very tough on my generation and younger people for the rise of far lefty politics, and deservedly so, but we have lived our entire adult lives in crisis.

For all of that crisis though, it’s important to note that we have largely survived. American society has not melted down all the way down to “Hunger Games” levels. There have been failings- Katrina comes to mind- but we have generally avoided complete and total disaster.

For the most part, this is why I have been a Democrat. It is certainly not my identity, or a devotion to the ideology. The reason I haven’t followed the “white male migration” to the GOP is that I’ve watched Democrats try and mostly succeed at solving these problems.

I’m my lifetime I’ve watched Democrats pass the 1993 Budget, VAWA, the Assault Weapons Ban, the 2007 Minimum Wage Increase, the 2009 Stimulus, Obamacare, Dodd-Frank, 2021 Covid Recovery, and very soon, 2021 Infrastructure, to only name a few.

Democrats fought for marriage equality, to end the Iraq War, to try and defend voting rights, to generally try and make progress. Have they always won? No. Have they disappointed at times? Yes. Have they most overwhelmingly been on the general right side of history? Yes.

They have had to deal with an opposition party that largely has not been interested in solving parties. Newt Gingrich wanted to drive wedges in our society. George W. Bush ran the most ruthlessly ideological and politically effective administration we ever had.

And that leads us to the last decade. The Tea Party movement and it’s commitment to drown government. Mitch McConnell’s cut throat version of the Senate. And finally the cultural jihad of Trumpism against science, the educated, modernity, and multiculturalism.

They have built a collective movement committed to crisis. It started with libertarian economics, Bible thumpers, and neoconservatives, but it has added increasingly stupid and dangerous people. Proud Boys, Anti Vaxxers, Ammosexuals, hardline nationalists, etc.

I read polls and run campaigns for a living. I have all but given up reaching almost anyone in the 2021/Trump GOP to save the country politically. Literally 90% of them aren’t really engaging us in a conversation anymore. National elections begin 46-46 now, no matter what.

Those who hope that maybe they will come around on voting rights and elections, or maybe fear for their lives will make them get vaccinated, you’ll probably be disappointed. We’re that far polarized. You’re aiming at about 10% of them and the 10% of actually independent voters.

When you add up the independent minded Democrats, Republicans, and non-partisan people in this country, it’s less than 1/5 our population. They’re disproportionately in swing states. They decide our elections. It’s scary when you actually consider it.

This is where I again note my discontent with the “performance art” leftists who want to scream about our failings. They’re not going to do better at winning us elections. They can’t build a winning coalition. They critique our good work, arguing for their unattainable utopia.

Democrats like @SpeakerPelosi and @POTUS have spent the last 20 years leading us through crisis after crisis, solving problems, and taking action under the worst circumstances. I’m not saying it was perfect. But they’ve done good. And we should acknowledge that achievement.

Hundreds of millions of shots in arms. Ending the Afghanistan debacle. Passing infrastructure. Child tax credit checks. No, they can’t solve all the world’s problems, but just like in 2009, these two are there, doing their best, getting us through the worst.

There aren’t 50 million lefties who will start voting and giving us a permanent majority if we abolish capitalism, the police, and student loans. You can grow the electorate at the margins, but we can really only win by winning that less than 1/5 in the middle.

Performance art ain’t going to do it. Getting things done will. The Democratic Party of my adult lifetime has been committed to doing that. As President Joe ends Afghanistan and Speaker Nancy ushers infrastructure through the House, celebrate them 🍻.