The Hill is out with a piece that says just that….
In swing and Red states?
The label is toxic for their re-election chances this fall as the Republicans go back to their old effort of defining ‘liberal’s’ as ‘tax and spend’ party people….
Especially as America is having a inflation hichup that may end up being a recession with the Fed’s raising interest rates also….
On paper, many mesh with Capitol Hill’s top leftists. Some support easing the country’s reliance on fossil fuels and restarting discussions around “Medicare for All.” Others want to accept more Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion of their country. Most would like President Biden to use executive action to give Americans more aid across the board.
Their hesitation to be defined as such, however, is new.
“For those people who understand root terminology, to progress means to move forward,” said Dwight Bullard, a senior adviser for Florida Rising and a local NAACP leader. “To be a progressive is to be forward thinking or constantly in a push to improve.”
“That’s a very pragmatic definition,” he said. “A lot of people just got lost in the sauce.”
While some high-profile contenders still use the moniker, others want to be thought of in different terms. Pennsylvania’s Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who’s seeking the party’s nomination for a coveted Senate seat, prefers a different word: populist.
He’s not alone….
…
…unlike the quartet of senators from liberal bastions, these 2022 Democratic candidates aren’t situated in safe, deep-blue states and districts. Fetterman, Kunce and Smith are each competing in battlegrounds that could determine which party controls the Senate and House — Pennsylvania, Missouri and North Carolina — making their choice of rhetoric more consequential, some Democrats say….
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The blurring of labels comes as Democrats figure out how to position the party ahead of what’s expected to be a tough fall against Republicans. Without Trump on the ticket, some left-wing candidates, including those with less name recognition, are being more judicious about how to present themselves to voters….