It is so ironic that David Crowley is now being hammered by Tom Tiffany as "Data Center Crowley", as if Tiffany is not a huge supporter of data centers himself. This shows just how incompetent establishment Dem candidates like Crowley really are. Instead of pivoting to Hong's position after winning the Wisconsin primary, Crowley doubles down on data centers, while also giving his cynical and hypocritical GOP opponent the opportunity to smear him using a policy Tiffany also supports! This is insane! So, the whole electability argument the establishment deployed against Hong was total bullshit. Clearly, the establishment Dems would rather lose a general election to the likes of Tiffany than to let a democratic socialist like Hong win. Very sad.
Thank you. This is a great point, and that's all you need to know about the Dem establishment’s position. They don't care so much about winning in a general election, as long as they keep their corporate donors happy.
With regards to the WI polling: I know this is a sample size of n/1, but I literally only saw 1-2 yard signs for Crowley (in Madison). And only 1 TV ad before his phoenix-like rise. With that as context his anemic polling made sense-- it aligned with what I was experiencing. It's also worth noting that post-resurrection, his talking points indexed much more toward Hong's than away from them.
Meanwhile, there were signs for Kelda Roys all over, but she was dead in the water almost from the start.
That seems to match the explanation I heard. Polling was done before Crowley re-entered, and Myers boosted him in the last two weeks. They snuck in the back door!
As Zack Polanski in the UK has said multiple times: even if not successful, the Greens have increased the presence of the left within the media debates, moved the conversation to include progressive policies & overall just improve political debate & ability of politicians to defend their policies from intense pressure.
If Crowley wants to win in November, he has to convince Hong supporters to come out, and then also vote for him. He will have to compromise & adopt some of her policies, &/ soften the perceived differences. Just demonising the GOP opponent will most likely not succeed to convince them to leave their couch on voting day.
Really appreciated this take. I did the perhaps insane thing of taking on Rep. Gwen Moore in Wisconsin’s congressional district 4. But I see it as an investment in the future: my kids’, all our children, and even my own. I had so many amazing conversations talking about Medicare for All, Block the Bombs, taxing the rich, AI & data center moratoriums at every level (while also being able to talk about the nuances ways in which AI could be used responsibly and ethically, but *not right now*), reparations and more while showing up as the trans non-binary healthcare worker I am in my community, at everything from anti-ICE organizing in West Allis, a farmer’s market in Brown Deer, Juneteenth, and Palestine-centered events. I wasn’t able to secure my DSA chapter’s endorsement, but did have other socialist backing, and ultimately earned 30,000 votes across the district. I was also outspent by pennies to the dollar, and calltime fundraising and traditional VAN door knocking were not part of my strategy. Keep looking for the inroads that are being made in the losses, both big and small. :)
The reason that establishment Democrats are lashing out at the DSA is that the DSA is doing politics correctly, in an organized fashion; + its faction is the only one in all of American politics that is growing. The donor-driven, TV-ad-spewing, Super-PAC-subcontracted model of politics both "major parties" swear by has brought us the parlous state we are now in; + even mostly switched-off regular people are aware of that now. This is a huge problem for both "majors", but the Democratic Party brand in particular feels the hot wind on its face. It remains to be seen how far they'll descend to cling to primacy, but it'll still be futile in the end.
The significance of Hong’s loss is that better discipline and issue focus may have made the difference. Everything else is good to keep in mind but kind of cope.
“This is a long-winded way of saying that there is no single reason why Francesca Hong lost. And anyone telling you something is The Reason is likely venting outrage at a person, group, or phenomenon they already disliked.”
Funny because I’d say the same exact logic applies to Kshama Sawant’s electoral loss.
The difference is Sawant was a 6-1 fundraising leader who lost to a Republican in a D+20 district. Francesca Hong was outspent and lost by .5%. Big difference.
“She was a long-shot candidate who did exceptionally well given her starting position and the establishment's overarching power. Like the left, Francesca Hong fought hard, lost, and will be back stronger.”
Just really fascinating how you rationalize electoral defeats for different flavors of socialists.
It is so ironic that David Crowley is now being hammered by Tom Tiffany as "Data Center Crowley", as if Tiffany is not a huge supporter of data centers himself. This shows just how incompetent establishment Dem candidates like Crowley really are. Instead of pivoting to Hong's position after winning the Wisconsin primary, Crowley doubles down on data centers, while also giving his cynical and hypocritical GOP opponent the opportunity to smear him using a policy Tiffany also supports! This is insane! So, the whole electability argument the establishment deployed against Hong was total bullshit. Clearly, the establishment Dems would rather lose a general election to the likes of Tiffany than to let a democratic socialist like Hong win. Very sad.
He should have pivoted to the center! How do you get outflanked by a Republican on data centers?
I know, right? It sounds so stupid because it is. Electability my ass.
I'm not arguing your point, but have you noticed how much Crowley has shifted his talking points (and tone) to more closely match Hong's?
And yet! Still no simple advocacy for a moratorium. IMO, this might be *the one thing* that unites WI residents, and yet Crowley just won't go all in.
Thank you. This is a great point, and that's all you need to know about the Dem establishment’s position. They don't care so much about winning in a general election, as long as they keep their corporate donors happy.
With regards to the WI polling: I know this is a sample size of n/1, but I literally only saw 1-2 yard signs for Crowley (in Madison). And only 1 TV ad before his phoenix-like rise. With that as context his anemic polling made sense-- it aligned with what I was experiencing. It's also worth noting that post-resurrection, his talking points indexed much more toward Hong's than away from them.
Meanwhile, there were signs for Kelda Roys all over, but she was dead in the water almost from the start.
That seems to match the explanation I heard. Polling was done before Crowley re-entered, and Myers boosted him in the last two weeks. They snuck in the back door!
Excellent piece. Clear-headed and clear-sighted. Ignore the trolls.
Appreciate it!
Is “trolls” just shorthand for someone engaging in good faith with Joe’s writing and disagreeing with him?
As Zack Polanski in the UK has said multiple times: even if not successful, the Greens have increased the presence of the left within the media debates, moved the conversation to include progressive policies & overall just improve political debate & ability of politicians to defend their policies from intense pressure.
If Crowley wants to win in November, he has to convince Hong supporters to come out, and then also vote for him. He will have to compromise & adopt some of her policies, &/ soften the perceived differences. Just demonising the GOP opponent will most likely not succeed to convince them to leave their couch on voting day.
Really appreciated this take. I did the perhaps insane thing of taking on Rep. Gwen Moore in Wisconsin’s congressional district 4. But I see it as an investment in the future: my kids’, all our children, and even my own. I had so many amazing conversations talking about Medicare for All, Block the Bombs, taxing the rich, AI & data center moratoriums at every level (while also being able to talk about the nuances ways in which AI could be used responsibly and ethically, but *not right now*), reparations and more while showing up as the trans non-binary healthcare worker I am in my community, at everything from anti-ICE organizing in West Allis, a farmer’s market in Brown Deer, Juneteenth, and Palestine-centered events. I wasn’t able to secure my DSA chapter’s endorsement, but did have other socialist backing, and ultimately earned 30,000 votes across the district. I was also outspent by pennies to the dollar, and calltime fundraising and traditional VAN door knocking were not part of my strategy. Keep looking for the inroads that are being made in the losses, both big and small. :)
The reason that establishment Democrats are lashing out at the DSA is that the DSA is doing politics correctly, in an organized fashion; + its faction is the only one in all of American politics that is growing. The donor-driven, TV-ad-spewing, Super-PAC-subcontracted model of politics both "major parties" swear by has brought us the parlous state we are now in; + even mostly switched-off regular people are aware of that now. This is a huge problem for both "majors", but the Democratic Party brand in particular feels the hot wind on its face. It remains to be seen how far they'll descend to cling to primacy, but it'll still be futile in the end.
No. Hong lost, not DSA.
The significance of Hong’s loss is that better discipline and issue focus may have made the difference. Everything else is good to keep in mind but kind of cope.
“This is a long-winded way of saying that there is no single reason why Francesca Hong lost. And anyone telling you something is The Reason is likely venting outrage at a person, group, or phenomenon they already disliked.”
Funny because I’d say the same exact logic applies to Kshama Sawant’s electoral loss.
The difference is Sawant was a 6-1 fundraising leader who lost to a Republican in a D+20 district. Francesca Hong was outspent and lost by .5%. Big difference.
“She was a long-shot candidate who did exceptionally well given her starting position and the establishment's overarching power. Like the left, Francesca Hong fought hard, lost, and will be back stronger.”
Just really fascinating how you rationalize electoral defeats for different flavors of socialists.