I see now where the confusion lies I believe. It seems to me that you think I am arguing IN FAVOR of moving to the middle. I am absolutely, unequivocally, and under no circumstances in support of that strategy. What I am arguing is that when you have a candidate with no true ideological convictions, and that does not believe in the radical reorientation of the Democratic party towards true economic populism then the only option you are left with is pandering to the middle. I agree it has been a complete and total failure, and that it was always doomed to fail in the long run even if it miraculously worked in the short term (2020). I knew it was going to be a failed strategy in 2016, I knew it was going to lead to future failure after 2020, and that was proven to be true again in 2024. I fucking agree with you.

I don’t understand why you think working with them, compromising with them when they do nothing but give empty promises and bullshit excuses, is somehow going to magically turn the party left because of one cult-like candidate (who we had, btw, Bernie, the DNC shit all over him, remember) who “centralizes power.”

This is not what I am suggesting at all. I want zero compromise with the right, ever. I want absolute, uncompromising, ideological militance from the left and its leadership. Bernie was never going to provide that. While I absolutely believe in the genuine nature of his beliefs, and appreciate what he did to wake up so much of the Millennial generation in this country, he ultimately was too old and lacked the courage of his convictions.

What we need is new leadership who is willing, ready, and able to build a political apparatus that is capable of organizing and maintaining the advantages that come along with engaging in structural violence when necessary. That means economically embargoing conservative states, and corporations. It means systematically organizing and overtaking local governments in strategically advantageous districts. It means building organizations that allow people to escape regressive social, familial, religious, or economic situations that are keeping them trapped and unproductive to the cause. It means encouraging those people to cut off social access to anyone that does not share in their ideological convictions. No more fucking around. I want a legitimate push toward radicalizing the population, and showing people how to effectively use their numbers to their advantage.

For some reason you thought I was arguing for centrism, when what I am really arguing for is centralized, organized, strategic revolution. Hopefully that clears things up.