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It’s not purely symbolic. The bigger candidates often start to address policy positions represented by smaller candidates who get enough votes in the primaries as a way to sway those voters in the general election.
Absolutely! If we can show that there are votes to be taken up by repositioning policies just a little or adding some, then it absolutely in a working 2 party system moves the closest party to adopt those in order to get the votes. And then it's up to consistent pressure to make sure they are worked on while in office, pest they lose trust and that voter base forever.
It's a shame, I'm pretty sure the US is not in a working or stable 2 party system.
Yeah, it’s not a total solution, but it’s better than letting the Dems pander to the centrists.
Yeah but the centrists are easy fodder while the right wing has been shifting more to the right after losing support over the years and seeing the fringe party voters as votes they could pick up.
The centrists don't have a party as easy to back and thus Democrats are picking them up by moving even more center.
Unless they think they need the progressive votes, which they don't at the moment, they won't care as much for trying to pick up left fringe voters. The middle is just bigger tastier looking prey.
Yeah, that was my point. The primaries are a chance to vote progressive to send the dominant candidate a message.
Right. I'm disagreeing that it will have much of an effect though. Centrists are adrift that would normally vote "fiscally conservative but socially liberal" and lean more Republican because of the bad taste Trump left in their mouth but I think Democrats assume that is an easy voter based to capture by just not doing anything overly crazy and acting fiscally conservative and centrist in their ideology.
So Democrats might pick up some minor left leaning points to make sure they get enough of the left leaning populace but unless a 3rd party candidate gets an incredible primary, in the current state, I don't expect them to adjust policy much at all. Centrist just likely seems the safer bet to them which is dangerous if they lose them but they are against Trump and MAGA so it's somewhat a safe gamble.
In better times primarying works but here, and right now, I don't think the Democrats give a flying fuck.
This right here. There's no actual threat of weakening Biden by voting against him in the primary, because there's no real candidate running against him. Voting uncommitted or for a write in the primary is a great way to leverage your voting power without empowering trump.