Thread by @MattGrossmann

Nice @davidshor overview/debate & 2022/24 election simulation:
nytimes.com/2021/10/08/opi…
In my view, Shor's meta point that decision-making by high-education liberal operatives hurts Democrats is more widely important than just recommending popular issue positioning

Messaging effects are quite small & might be overemphasized:
science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…

But nationalization, coalition group emphasis, context effects, ideological sorting, & polarization are all very important trends that are likely to be affected by many party decisions over time

Policy agenda effects are real, though under media control. Policy position effects seem limited & specific to issues where the parties once had muddled positions. But the long-built liberal & nationalized image of the Democratic Party is very important & Dems used to resist it

A less-policy-oriented popularism extension for Dems:
- Calling yourself liberal/progressive/socialist is worse than moderate or not labeling
- Citing local roots & ties is better than nationalizing
- Framing class choice as Reps for the rich is better than Dems for the smart

Also relevant now: liberal policy proposals are more popular than a broader effort to move policy leftward or expand the role of government. Advancing lots of (even mostly popular) liberal policies at once may not stay popular if seen in broader ideological terms.

Democrats can also make efforts to minimize their perceived social distance & emphasize shared conservative values, even without changing policy positions:
niskanencenter.org/reducing-polar…