disaffected liberals aren't going to be convinced that the left can win elections. they're barely ideological, they just don't like republicans. xx% of disaffected liberals are just centrists/cryptoconservatives with one or two pet issues, like abortion

really if you as a campaign just give a code to make a large pizza from dominos $5 this would absolutely work

on a voter mobilization level, it's better to think about politicians as something like "magicians who might make the price of my arby's combo meal go down" than it is to think of incremental improvements in american life as the result of a 500 page document made by poly-curious nerds

"smart people" often make the mistake of thinking that "dumb people" basically think like them, but they lack the capability to hit all the finer points -- like you're playing the full piano and they're playing one octave -- this is not true. the mechanics are completely different.

you tell people what they want to hear and then do what is best for them -- people who don't research the issues aren't voting based on the logic of the issues, so an exhaustively detailed policy plan is basically just blowing a dogwhistle and expecting a fish to roll over

what's the beef?

the only way that you can think about this productively is in terms of a sitcom writer's room. "what will happen on 'The United States' this season? what would make people watch?" that's really the beginning and end of it.

when you're thinking that people vote based on policy, you're going to lose. people voted for Sanjaya on American Idol because Howard Stern thought it was funny to make the show worse. that's the only lens through which you can look at american politics -- policy is something you do quietly.

part of what makes bernie sanders appeal to voters is the fact that he's normal. all of the rogan types and hillary haters liked him because he's legible as a politician but has a voting record that gives him a claim to integrity. if you don't act like a freak you can win elections.