Are ''moderate'' Democrats becoming more liberal?

[Leigha]

Found this to be an interesting read. Do you get the feeling that ''moderate'' Democrats really aren't all that ''moderate'' at all?

https://www.axios.com/biden-buttigieg-20...10205.html

[Syne]

Either Democrat "moderates" have been becoming less moderate or Democrat moderates have been becoming Republicans.

[Image: D-FqQdVWwAEcGot?format=jpg]

The median Democrat is now further from Obama Democrats than Obama Democrats were from Republicans...leading to some nonsense leftist claims that Hillary and other Democrats are "really" Republicans. Just shows how deluded extremist bubble-dwellers can get.

[Leigha]

lol That's interesting. What's your take on AOC? I've heard everything from she's a moderate to a socialist Democrat to an extreme leftist? I'm wondering if socialism is considered extreme leftist, now? I don't consider socialism to be moderate.

[Syne]

Yeah, I've heard nutjobs say AOC is a moderate...and represents the majority views of all Americans. That's insane leftist delusion. She obviously identifies as a socialist and is an extreme leftist. Socialism has always been viewed as extreme leftism in the US. So much so that the mention of socialism use to be completely verboten in US politics.

The goal of socialism is communism.
- Vladimir Lenin

[Leigha]

She has actually stated that she considers herself to be moderate because she feels that her ideals are basic human needs.

[Syne]

Then it's just morons who believe her.

[Leigha]

I don't think many Republicans believe that she's a moderate Democrat, but she believes that her ''agenda'' is what we all should believe in - clean energy and water, no pollution, saving the planet, raising minimum wage, everyone being able to have equal opportunities, not condemning people who want a better life by crossing our borders, keeping large corporations in check, etc.

When we view it like that, all of those ideas seem very moderate. Very compassionate. Very reasonable. But, there's more to it than that. A lot more, as we know.

I don't dislike AOC, though. She's passionate about her views, even though I don't agree with her methodology as to how to accomplish some of her objectives. The fact that Bernie Sanders and Biden are ''in the lead'' on the Democratic side scares me more. lol I just can't believe this is the best the US has to offer.

[Syne]

The sad part is that we would have more clean energy (enough for our actual power needs), in the form of nuclear power, if not for Democrats' irrational fear of nuclear waste. We largely do have clean water, except when bureaucracies drop the ball, including Obama's EPA. The planet is fine, aside form China, which no one in the US can change. Artificially raising minimum wage, beyond market demand (which thanks to historically low unemployment is currently raising wages), only leads to shorter hours/benefits and fewer jobs. Everyone already has equal opportunity, and telling them they don't presumes they can't do as well as anyone else, which is bigoted. Even Mexico has stricter immigration requirement than the US does. And AOC sure kept Amazon in check, by ensuring they didn't bring thousands of jobs to NYC...only hurting working class people.

[C C]

. . . The fact that Bernie Sanders and Biden are ''in the lead'' on the Democratic side scares me more. lol I just can't believe this is the best the US has to offer.

I'd still rank both highly in the two distinct categories that the party is offering voters: "Who can best turn the US into a lab experiment?" and "Who has the best chance of beating Trump?"

Sanders slotting somewhere in the first and Biden slotting somewhere in the latter. Note that "best" doesn't necessarily equate to success. One category is asking who is the scariest candidate in terms of unbridled territory and the other category is asking who is least scary as a repeat of the familiar (Obama, Clinton).

It might be contended that Trump has been conducting a radical lab experiment of his own, but it's scary in the different way of a dinosaur rolling back the clock. Whereas the Dem version is akin to space aliens terraforming the country in exotic, new ways (exciting perhaps, but also unpredictable in terms of what cliffs lie ahead). (Defiance)

[Leigha]

I've been thinking about the upcoming election, and wondering if in the end, if any of us are ever really swayed when it comes to political ideas that don't coincide with our preexisting biases and beliefs? The pro-Trump camp is honestly as bad as the anti-Trump one. Living in extremes often times doesn't allow us to be open minded to what ''the other side'' may have to offer. It just seems that we tend to interpret the news as it relates to our biases.