Nate Cohn

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

And in general, Obama's approach to these issues was always aiming to be unifying and conciliatory, in a manner consistent with his overall DNC '04 liberal message, while secondarily acknowledging the legitimate grievances of African Americans — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

It's worth noting that when Obama appeared to even slightly deviate from that brand--the Gates incident, noting his son would have looked like Trayvon--he quickly found himself in controversy, though I'm not clear on how much damage was done by it. Wasn't in the campaign, either — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

On race, Obama ran on a now very out-of-style brand of hopeful, colorblind postracial liberalism, which plainly helped to defuse questions about race in the northern United States (not the south). On net, perhaps he defused it entirely, at least compared to prior white Dems. — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

On immigration, it's fair to say Obama did a lot to defuse these issues by '20 standards. He talked a lot about border security and deported enough undocumented immigrants to earn attacks from activists. Biden '20 wasn't really willing to defend this in the primary: I was just VP — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

So Obama didn't exactly shy away from talking about liberal cultural issues. But it is true that they weren't the central question of the election, either. I am open to the idea that they could have been under other circumstances. — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

In peripheral but important roles, Obama attacked the GOP defunding planned parenthood, argued for CIR and gun control--esp post-Aurora shooting. Obama backed gay marriage but didn't talk about it much. — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

For future reference, note here that this is basically a defensive jobs/growth message: we will protect you from corporations and globalization. The ACA, stimulus, green jobs were not really part of the winning message. And they probably weren't a winning message. — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

And I think it's pretty easy to see the Obama campaign as an exercise in popularism. Its core message in the Midwest was to tout the autobailout and attack Romney as a corporate raider who would outsource jobs and hollow out the middle class. — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

But Obama is an obvious blueprint. After all, he was the star in the holy grail'12 election. We know Obama's tweeted Shor. His broadly liberal sensibility puts him at odds with the new new left. We can work with this in lieu of a full proposal. https://t.co/GWfG5RU7wy — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

I should note that I think that's Team Shor's fault: I have not seen very many (any?) efforts from the populists to spell out what Democrats can/can't do on race/immigration on this framework, other than try and make it go away somehow — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

It's worth emphasizing that last point about 2012 on race etc., because the Shorism debate on this website has not always proceeded from clear and shared assumptions about what his vision looks like on race/immigration/etc — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

He's also clear in believing that the Obama '12 campaign is the model for Democrats. As far as he's concerned, that was the last time Democrats thought in a popularist--tactical--way, including about salience/messaging on race, immigration, culture — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

It's oversimplified, but in the absence of a fuller program I think it's one of the clearer lenses for thinking about what his ideas mean in practice. And I think it's fair: he's clear about wishing to go back to 2012 edu. polarization--it's explicit in his power sim https://t.co/xAHrZF1vAv — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

Since it's @davidshor weekend here on Twitter, I thought I'd add some focused thoughts on one way of thinking about the Shor case: what would happen if the Democrats tried to go back to 2012? — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

@mattyglesias @chrislhayes @davidshor they've blown immigration--they have no idea what to do about it. i think that's largely separate from some anti-trump executive orders. and fwiw, i'm not at all clear on what the popularist solution on the border is supposed to be (it may be out there) — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

@DouthatNYT @mattyglesias @chrislhayes @davidshor oh they've entirely blown immigration--they seem to have no idea what to do. but i think that's a different kind of problem from left-liberal immigration policy announcements in january — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

@mattyglesias @chrislhayes @davidshor i think that's fair and could come up with a dozen other examples, but it all feels like like low salience efforts to placate your coalition--exactly the kind of tactic that you've all noted the gop does on business, environment, regulations etc. — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

@mattyglesias @chrislhayes @davidshor and that's despite the fact that, this time, the new new left appears to have real support in the democratic primary electorate that's now majority self-ID liberal and 50% college grads — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

@mattyglesias @chrislhayes @davidshor if 2016 is 1968--the moment the new new left emerges and gets angry at a convention--then the party this time responded with... phasing out caucuses and nominating biden on electability grounds — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

@mattyglesias @chrislhayes @davidshor i continue to find it weird when you broaden this argument beyond interest groups and activists to 'the democratic party,' and i think the chain reaction/mcgovern type comparison makes it all the clearer — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

https://t.co/kb7zLDu1qX — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

@PTBwrites https://t.co/laRE61mqUZ — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

I actually added the wrong second link (it was supposed to be an opinion piece, after all). this is what i meant! https://t.co/UspzLj6l9o — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

I don't think I've ever written up before, but I do think that understanding the role of a broadly defined individualism--as a world view, value system--is vital to understanding American political debates, on everything from social democracy to coronavirus to racism — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

https://t.co/KNzcKap1gV — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

https://t.co/xOib8Y5zRf — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

Two pieces from NYT Opinion worth reading in tandem on, more or less, how individualism is shaping the current debate over the Biden agenda — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

@davidshor @SpecialPuppy1 @NoamLupu @mehdirhasan @DouthatNYT @BenjySarlin @aaronhuertas @ezraklein @Nick_Carnes_ (which is all obviously supported in the precinct data) https://t.co/aEcKXoCaAT — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

@davidshor @SpecialPuppy1 @NoamLupu @mehdirhasan @DouthatNYT @BenjySarlin @aaronhuertas @ezraklein @Nick_Carnes_ and some additional data on the income x edu question https://t.co/nQVGmseZsX https://t.co/c9bnj3kZ7g — PolitiTweet.org

Nate Cohn @Nate_Cohn

@davidshor @SpecialPuppy1 @NoamLupu @mehdirhasan @DouthatNYT @BenjySarlin @aaronhuertas @ezraklein @Nick_Carnes_ two-way (based on a lot more than the ANES post-04 though) https://t.co/2YNuRI1bqS — PolitiTweet.org