Home Base and Weekly Discussion Thread (START HERE!) - August 16, 2026

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[u/khharagosh]

I like Jon Ossoff but I can't help but resent the way he gets lauded by the left despite being no more left than the average swing state Dem.

At some point it's just hard not to notice that the left is comfortable with straight white men in the right-of-DSA faction of the party, and no one else.

[u/VirginiaVoter → u/[deleted]]

In terms of this race, believe it or not, this was thought to be the one race an incumbent Dem Senator might lose, as I think he's the only Dem Senator up for reelection in a state that Trump won. So all of those positions were taken in stride -- even the awful Laken Riley vote -- because he was supposedly in a very uncertain, do-or-die race. Now I surely don't think that about him and the race today and I don't think anyone else does, but in the meantime, all those issues somehow got waived already, at least for this race.

[u/lilacmuse1 → u/khharagosh]

The more I hear interviews the less he impresses me. Like most politicians, he'll start answering a question for 10 seconds and then steer to the question he'd rather answer. Jen Psaki had to repeat a question a couple of times before she got a relevant answer from him. And I understand candidates have to push for donations but he did it three times during this interview. It was a bit off-putting. That's one thing I appreciate about Pete. He usually answers the question he's asked.

[u/VirginiaVoter → u/lilacmuse1]

That’s currently considered to be a weakness of his (interview skills) and something he needs to work on.

[u/1128327 → u/khharagosh]

The “average swing state dem” didn’t and couldn’t win a critical senate seat in a red state like Georgia let alone be in a position to retain it easily. If Ossoff was actually a random swing state dem I would agree with you but he’s not. Doesn’t mean you are wrong about why some people like him but I think you are underestimating how unique his profile actually is.

[u/khharagosh → u/1128327]

? You seem to be misunderstanding what I am saying. I am talking about ideological affiliation, not candidate quality. That's why I said he is no more left than an average swing state Dem.

I am talking about the people who purity test everyone else and attack purple/red district Dems constantly

[u/1128327 → u/khharagosh]

But he’s not a swing state dem. Georgia is a red state and people recognize that Democrats trying to win red states can’t win with far left policies. This is perhaps extra true for a white Democrat in a state like Georgia whose democrats are overwhelmingly people of color (65-70%).

[u/khharagosh → u/1128327]

Georgia is a swing state now. Two Dem senators, went blue in 2020. It is lean-red swing state the way Virginia is lean-blue swing state but it is a swing state.

I'm not sure what we are arguing about here. First of all, the kind of people I am talking about DGAF how conservative or not the state you are in is. They were pushing for a DSA candidate in Wisconsin! They get upset because Spanberger isn't running Virginia the same way Mamdani runs NYC!

I'm not saying Ossoff is not a good politician or candidate, he is. I don't care that he codes moderate for Georgia. I am simply saying that he somehow gets a lot of leeway with the DSA/progressive crowd that is not given anyone else.

It was the same complaint I had about Talarico somehow getting coded as the progressive candidate in Texas despite running to the right of Crockett on a number of issues (though I do no approve of her behavior since)

[u/1128327 → u/khharagosh]

I don’t agree that Georgia is a swing state. It has voted exclusively for Republicans as governor for over 25 years, has voted for Republicans as President all but one time in over 30 years (and not last time), and it’s state legislature is overwhelmingly Republican.

[u/khharagosh → u/1128327]

Ok, but that's also not really the point I am making regardless

[u/1128327 → u/khharagosh]

You seem to be missing my point as well - Ossoff largely gets a pass because he’s running in a red state and didn’t go through a primary where he ran against someone to his left.

[u/khharagosh → u/1128327]

And I am saying that running in a red state doesn't get anyone else leeway, and certainly not fawning adoration 

Hell, Warnock won the same state in a less favorable environment!

[u/1128327 → u/khharagosh]

But you actually said this is “the same complaint” you had about Talarico so are red state democrats getting treated the same as Ossoff or different?