Progressives withhold their votes on purity or other reasons. Republicans never withhold their votes at similar clips. Progressives vote one way expect everything to change in one cycle with razor thin numbers. Then when all the things they hope don't happen in that one cycle rebel against the Dems. Meanwhile the other side votes and votes and votes and then 50 years later they get what they want and then we are in a place where something can't likely be corrected for another 50 years or longer because there is a portion of the left "progressives" that just don't consistently vote.
Democrats don't fight dirty enough and that is a fair argument. But, they are never afforded the benefit to actually fight dirty, because they don't have as stable a voting block. Take something like medicare for all, it will always poll well including with republicans and right of center voters. But, those same people that are right of center will vote for a Josh Hawley or MTG over and over again who will never back that policy and not care. Like AOC is progressive through and through and if she wasn't in a super safe district she would be vulnerable. Because how dare she work with Nancy Pelosi or Hakeem Jeffries on something to get to the bigger picture. Her Progressives see that as betrayal and withhold their votes because she's not pure enough. That shyt doesn't happen to MTG. That shyt doesn't happen in state wide Senate races on the other side. That is why I don't give Progressives a pass.
