As much as Conservatives get stereotyped as having no ideology beyond opposing anything the left supports, a lot of “progressive” policies that get lumped together don’t actually have much in common beyond being things Conservatives hate
There isn’t actually very much inherent common cause between, for example, LGBTQ rights, environmentalism, and workers rights. They have made common cause over the decades due to having the same opponents, but if that predator pressure went away it’s not a coalition that would hang together without active effort, and maybe not even then.
If the right wing ever embraced a neutral or positive position on LGBTQ rights, there’s many in that community who would otherwise feel right at home with the rest of the Conservative platform.
Environmentalism is in many ways a more natural fit in a Conservative ideological framework to start with, and the only reason it’s ended up as a “progressive” position is the right’s close ties to the oil industry. If the green energy transition ever really breaks through, I wouldn’t be surprised if large parts of the environmental movement gets co-opted by the right wing within a decade or two. There’s always been some classist and exclusionary undertones to parts of the Green movement that would respond very well to right wing messaging if they weren’t so completely owned by the oil industry
I guess what I’m saying is that “progressive” parties can’t take any votes or voters for granted. There are no interchangeable left wing blocks that can be shuffled around like game pieces. The parties can’t simply run on being “good” and checking a couple boxes on the list that we’ve decided is progressive and then deciding we deserve to win.
We need to actually solve problems for people, and stand for more than simply being all the groups the Conservatives happen to dislike at the moment
"One of the impulses it’s clear that many on the left, both in Canada and in America, are reaching for in the aftermath of Trump’s victory is the idea the voters are wrong."
Huh! Arrogant, much?
I'm not the problem! You're the problem! Sounds like a very messy divorce.
What, oh what in the Hell is wrong with you leftists that you cannot ask yourselves, "Gee, did we misread what the population wants, what it needs, what it expects? Do we need to adjust our own belief system? Are our policies and nostrums really appropriate for most of the population?"
I absolutely refuse to vote Liberal as I live in a province that was attacked endlessly (but ultimately unsuccessfully) by T1 and now by T2 - success (or hopefully) lack of same yet to be determined.
You damned leftists have been attacking my side of the country and you won't stop and consider that maybe, just maybe, perhaps, possibly you might be a smidge out of step yourself.
The voters may well have screwed the pooch on the most recent vote in the US but WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU THAT YOU WON'T ASK WHY, WHY, WHY THEY DIDN'T LIKE WHAT YOUR SIDE WAS OFFERING?
You need to ask what the rest of the country was thinking and don't answer so quickly with racist, stupid or whatever other nasty name that you were going to throw out. Many people held their nose and voted for DJT so what was the problem with the candidate and the platform that your side presented?
As much as Conservatives get stereotyped as having no ideology beyond opposing anything the left supports, a lot of “progressive” policies that get lumped together don’t actually have much in common beyond being things Conservatives hate
There isn’t actually very much inherent common cause between, for example, LGBTQ rights, environmentalism, and workers rights. They have made common cause over the decades due to having the same opponents, but if that predator pressure went away it’s not a coalition that would hang together without active effort, and maybe not even then.
If the right wing ever embraced a neutral or positive position on LGBTQ rights, there’s many in that community who would otherwise feel right at home with the rest of the Conservative platform.
Environmentalism is in many ways a more natural fit in a Conservative ideological framework to start with, and the only reason it’s ended up as a “progressive” position is the right’s close ties to the oil industry. If the green energy transition ever really breaks through, I wouldn’t be surprised if large parts of the environmental movement gets co-opted by the right wing within a decade or two. There’s always been some classist and exclusionary undertones to parts of the Green movement that would respond very well to right wing messaging if they weren’t so completely owned by the oil industry
I guess what I’m saying is that “progressive” parties can’t take any votes or voters for granted. There are no interchangeable left wing blocks that can be shuffled around like game pieces. The parties can’t simply run on being “good” and checking a couple boxes on the list that we’ve decided is progressive and then deciding we deserve to win.
We need to actually solve problems for people, and stand for more than simply being all the groups the Conservatives happen to dislike at the moment
"One of the impulses it’s clear that many on the left, both in Canada and in America, are reaching for in the aftermath of Trump’s victory is the idea the voters are wrong."
Huh! Arrogant, much?
I'm not the problem! You're the problem! Sounds like a very messy divorce.
What, oh what in the Hell is wrong with you leftists that you cannot ask yourselves, "Gee, did we misread what the population wants, what it needs, what it expects? Do we need to adjust our own belief system? Are our policies and nostrums really appropriate for most of the population?"
I absolutely refuse to vote Liberal as I live in a province that was attacked endlessly (but ultimately unsuccessfully) by T1 and now by T2 - success (or hopefully) lack of same yet to be determined.
You damned leftists have been attacking my side of the country and you won't stop and consider that maybe, just maybe, perhaps, possibly you might be a smidge out of step yourself.
The voters may well have screwed the pooch on the most recent vote in the US but WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU THAT YOU WON'T ASK WHY, WHY, WHY THEY DIDN'T LIKE WHAT YOUR SIDE WAS OFFERING?
You need to ask what the rest of the country was thinking and don't answer so quickly with racist, stupid or whatever other nasty name that you were going to throw out. Many people held their nose and voted for DJT so what was the problem with the candidate and the platform that your side presented?
Start with that conversation, Dammit!