I fully believe that our democracy hinges on flipping Congress blue, so I actively promote Democrats.
I carefully select which primary candidates to highlight based on character, expertise & other factors. But most important of all is fit for the district. Will they win?
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I carefully select which primary candidates to highlight based on character, expertise & other factors. But most important of all is fit for the district. Will they win?
/1
Some on here take the position that we should boost the profiles of all Dem primary candidates equally. I do not. Because some won’t win. And we must win. /2
There is a danger in the nationalization of local races. Many of us in super blue urban centers view things through a very progressive lens. So when we look to races in rural Michigan, Texas or Virginia we may be drawn to super progressive candidates in those races. /3
But in this age of social media, when highly engaged urban democrats can generate buzz about a progressive candidate in an R+7 rural district in Florida, we are wielding great power and we must be mindful. /4
It is incumbent upon us to understand the context of a race if we are going to push any candidate - much less a very liberal candidate in a lean-red district. Otherwise we’re just meddling blindly in local politics, & potentially torpedoing a race that might’ve flipped blue. /5
The most likely way we lose this thing in November is via over-interpretation of our mandate - i.e. we nominate Dem candidates who are too far left for their district, fueled by national energy instead of local factors. /6
If Conor Lamb or Doug Jones were any more liberal, we would have Rep. Saccone and Senator Roy Moore. Lamb & Jones will cast margin votes that displease the base. But they will vote with their party the vast majority of the time, and make left-leaning legislation passable. /7
These were successes b/c Lamb and Jones were excellent fits for their district/state, even though they would have been easily eliminated via the primary process in Portland/OR, New York/NY or LA/CA. /8
Here are some things I see happening in candidate promotion that should give us pause: /9
1) Supporting social-media-savvy candidates because they are “accessible”. Many on Twitter flock to candidates who are good at Twitter. A case can be made that social media savvy is important. /10
BUT - what if this person’s opponent(s) is/are not as accessible on SM b/c they are out knocking on doors actually connecting with their own constituents? In this case the national SM universe may be artificially propping up a candidate who is not a great fit locally. /11
2) Bandwagon support: When a candidate gets support from major accounts/influencers, folks fall in line & amplify w/o even looking at the race or alternative candidates. Don’t assume that a big-account endorsement (even from me 😉) means the chosen candidate is the best pick. /12
I have asked other accounts why they chose to push particular candidates and have literally gotten these responses: “I’d like to have a beer with him.” “He is really good at social media.” “Because So-And-So met her once and said she was really nice.” /13
Don’t assume endorsements are well-thought-out. There is too much misinformation flying around and too many unsavory influences to use this great power of social media for issuance of blind support of candidates. /14
Boosting Dem primary candidates who would be UNelectable in November is a strategic goal for many, from the GOP to the Kremlin and even the extreme left. We are in an information war and you must vet election information very carefully. /15
Here is a rule of thumb: if you can’t name the Dem primary opponents of the candidate you are boosting and make a locally contextualized argument for why your candidate is superior to the rest of the field, try doing a little more research. /16
(I’m not advocating that people make these arguments out in the open. In general we shouldn’t be tearing down other Democrats openly, as we may need to support them if they prevail in the primary.) /17
Do your own research. Look at candidates’ prior work, not just the positions they say they hold. Have they lived the values they profess? Do they have a history of helping others? How has the district voted before & what are key issues (cultural, economic & political)? /18
Of course, after the primaries, we #VoteBlueNoMatterWho //fin
