I don’t think it’s the left wing that holds the democrats, though I wish it were. The progressives believe they’re liberals and believe they’re left wing, but they have an authoritarian model of political engagement. If the democrats moved to the economic left, made some actual movement towards the sort of European socialism we have over here, they might do better with the working class swing vote.

In its current format of ceding the floor to the perpetually batshit and ideologically possessed, it may as well be a recruiting tool for the Republican Party.

I don’t think it’s necessarily Trump holding an iron grip on the party, right wing politics tends to be more disciplined. People who get behind someone and not splinter until that person is spent. We have it here in the U.K with the tories. It’s a big draw, because any time the political left gets asked a complicated question, it just kicks itself to death.