I've been somewhat confused by some of your commentary in the wake of Ossoff's defeat in Georgia. This blog supported him pretty strongly before the race ended, but have since been very critical of his campaign; that resources spent on his should have rather been spent on other races like the one in Montana. What's your actual stance on Ossoff as a candidate?
Ossoff was an empty suit with ads that sounded like he was trying to sell an online college.
He didn’t want to define himself, so the right defined him.
He didn’t say he was explicitly against Trump, He didn’t say what he was for in any wide-reaching public forum(a debate on a local station for a special election seat is not wide-reaching). He let people just think what they wanted about him, rather than making a stand for anything.
If we are to learn anything, it is that we need a flexible platform for Democrats to run on in order to be elected.
- @theliberaltony
Ossoff campaign is also a good example to explain what “Identity Politics” beyond what people usually think.
Most people think identity politics is about race or gender but it can be about almost anything. In this case, it was about personality. By not having a substantive message Ossoff allowed the campaign to devolve into personality based identity politics and left him vulnerable to character assassinations.
A similar phenomenon is what caused Hillary Clinton’s favorable to sink so low. If you base your campaign on your “credentials and experience” it leaves open the possibility of people taking negative aspects of your experience and turning it against you.
Bernie and Jeremy Corbyn avoid this completely by avoiding the option of making their movements about them or their personality. When faced with character attacks they instantly pivot to their policy vision and how badly they want to implement it, thus their popularity remains strong.
“Bernie aren’t socialists anti-american?”
Bernie: “The billionaire class is ruining this country.”
“Corbyn why are you a terrorist sympathizer?”
Corbyn: “We should nationalize the railways.”
“Bernie you critiqued Obama once, do you hate blacks?”
Bernie: “Healthcare is a right of all people and we must pass Medicare-for-all!”
“Corbyn why are you destroying the Labour party?”
Corbyn: “The NHS must be defended and expanded. No more privatization!”
- @delendarius
