To expand a bit: My view is informed by talking to dozens or hundreds of voters since Jan 20, in ~10 states (incl red/purple states) and abroad. Specifically: There are millions—10M?— Dem activated base voters who want punishment and a second reconstruction. This is #NoKings. 1/
There are likewise large numbers of Dem and R voters who are blissfully unaware of what’s happening. No idea DC is under occupation, no idea what the attacks on foreign aid or cancer research or protective regulations/EPA/NOAA/FEMA mean. 2/
At the electorate level this isn’t about political ideology. It is about information. Now, there are also a number of professionals and academics who are out of touch with #NoKings and have trouble imagining change. Orwell analyzed this group well in Second Thoughts on Burnham.
I don’t know Alec but his POV is consistent both with someone who doesn’t see the whole sweep of the electorate and with what Orwell said: intellectuals are more pessimistic about change because their imaginations (of the ways things can go wrong) are stronger.
In any case we are not expressing a minority view, as one can see by traveling the country. Even Jeffries and Schumer, who have been rightfully maligned here for their clinging to the status quo, get how bad this is, deep down. Does Alex live in a diverse community?
*Alec
I don't know what his social circles are like, he can speak to that, at a guess tho, I'd say his impression of the progressive liberal, no Kings contingent is coming more from reading reactionary centerist commentators (Matt Y, TCW, et all) than it is from mainline liberals themselves
One point I've made repeatedly is the core democratic primary voters (who are progressive, maybe not hard socialist left, but very, very anti-trump) don't really have much media voice there's a fair chunk of us, but we struggle with messaging reach
Alec's view is our position just isn't popular enough to win (it's like a college campus thing, & no more) & we need to accept a state-by-state compromise I think that undersells it - we're maybe not a majority (like you say there's a *lot* of just tuned out people)
But there's a good chunk of us I think it also undersells the potential of our ideas to persuade the tuned out middle I think you put your finger on it tho - it's where are people getting their information on the electorate from?