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Fixed Positions

 Before the election, Congress was a lock for Republicans in a wave election because The President Always Loses His First Midterm and inflation. Day after post mortems are all saying similar things -- various mixtures of Biggest Loser Trump, shitty candidates, and Dobbs. This is all based on no data whatsoever but when did that ever stop a political pundit from having an Insight.

While these no doubt played a role, I suspect the main story is a lot simpler. The number of voters who might swing either way is getting smaller and smaller. The number of moderates is shrinking (thankfully, mostly to the benefit of liberals), and most of them are moderate in name only, pretty reliably voting for one side or the other.
I don't think we'll see wave elections again for a while. The respective sides have sorted out their ideologies and are now so locked into their positions that they will not vote for anyone from the other side under any circumstances. This is why a certifiable moron and pathological liar like Herschel Walker can drag his sorry ass so close to the finish line.
Nevertheless, Democrats still start from a 10 point hole every election and progressives need to take note of that. The country is not pining for Saint Bernie and shouting "Defund the Police" on TV is frowned upon even by black voters. That's sad, but the data shows that if you want to win elections, Democrats have to appeal to moderates. Progressives need to adopt the idea that you reach your goals incrementally, not all at once, because it is the moderates that you have to bring along with you and they are suspicious of radical change.
There have been exactly two political revolutions in American history. One required a Civil War and the other required the worst economic downturn in human history. Bad as today is, we aren't anywhere close to either of those so it won't happen now. Learn to live within the possible while hoping for the perfect.
May be an image of text that says 'Americans' Political Ideology, by Year How would you describe your political views very conservative conservative, moderate, liberal or very liberal? % Conservative % Moderate % Liberal 50 43 40 36 30 40 38 40 20 17 10 35 19 37 36 0 1992 21 1999 25 2004 2009 Shaded areas denote periods when gap between % conservative and % moderate was consistently two percentage points or less 2015 2021 GALLUP'
Niki Scher Vettel

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