Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Politics In General Is it too soon to be talking 2020?

Well, yeah, pretty much. How long has it taken you to figure this out, Grasshopper?

Will Rodgers had an entirely different political landscape to navigate than the one we navigate today. At least there was some leftism in his time, though the second great purge was getting underway. There was still some.
Hardly any today and the Democratic party is going into overdrive to see that there isn't anymore in 2020.

"Last week, the Boston Herald (7/11/19) decried Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib and Omar as far-left “bullies” who were undermining Pelosi, and “sowing division” at a time when the party “needs to project a unified—and more centrist—front to retain its majority and knock Donald Trump from office.” The piece did not, however, scrutinize Pelosi’s political positions—or even identify them at all.

This is a common occurrence in media, and has the effect of normalizing the right wing of the party as the default. Constantly reminders that Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez and co. are leftists prime the news consumer to be on the defensive. “You are about to hear socialist propaganda,” is the subtle message delivered. But an analogous message is not transmitted if others are not identified as on the right. Understanding the power of this technique, in 2015, nearly 90,000 Britons signed a petition asking the BBC, in the interests of even-handedness, to start describing Prime Minister David Cameron as “right-wing,” just as it constantly called Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn “left-wing.”

Full article

Lets me honest Jeff. You may be comfortable voting right wing and feel absolved if there is a D next to the name but I no longer am. I won't vote right wing and have had years of resentment having been hectored by libs into doing so. Lesser of two evils and all that rot.
I have concluded the Democratic party is a paid instrument to keep any avenue of leftist political expression neutralized. To ignore it is simple willful ignorance at this point in these dark and creative times.

Back in the 30's a lot of people were socialist and even communist in the US. The peak of this was in 1945 when our allies the Soviets essentially defeated the Nazis.

But then came the Red Scare but also the brutal invasions and occupations as the Iron Curtain went up. That had a huge effect on the left in the US. And I think it continues today, with stuff like Russia's invasion of Ukraine. shooting down commercial airliners, China's genocide against the Uighurs, etc. Nobody wants to be THAT socialist. The communists in the US are pretty much just a few mentally ill folks who thrive on the notoriety. The remaining left are union-supporters, employee-owned company supporters, now medicare4all supporters: In other words, FDR-style Democrats. Just a little bit left of centrist Democrats.

So the "left's" positions are not hard for the rest of the Democrats to agree with.

They just think that they might not be able to implement them, because half the country is still scared of "socialists coming for their kids and their guns". I don't think centrists are the left's enemies: I think they are just practical. Convince the majority of voters that medicare4all is good, and the Democrats will do it.

Again, you might have a way to rationalize voting for right wing candidates but I can no longer do it.