I think this chart, which I hope shows up, kind of gets to the point. Both reds pretty much ALWAYS vote. The conservative blues also always vote. That pretty much just leaves the progressive blues that need to be convinced to show up… But if they do show up, they vote blue.
Also notice that even if the Biden’s of the party could in fact get every centrist Republican to switch over and vote for them (and the biggest swing they actually achieved in these years was only a few percent) it still wouldn’t compare to the votes they’d get if they’d just embrace progressives and let the conservatives go.
That pretty much just leaves the progressive blues that need to be convinced to show up… But if they do show up, they vote blue.
not running shitty candidates with thoroughly fucked up voting/support history would be a great way to convince progressives to show up; the democrats had that with bernie and denied him 2x, so it doesn’t seem realistic that the democrats would ever change.
and it turns into a chicken and egg problem because democrats needs progressives to show up; but progressives won’t show up because democrats keep punching left.