I’m hoping that if the Democrats fail to get the House in the midterms, then they’ll finally wake up and run on progressive principles.
That depends on how they lose. If they lose the House because they got fewer votes, they will convince themselves that the only way to win is to adopt even more Republican policies than they already have (like the 2014 election). If, however, they lose the House in terms of seats but actually get a larger share of the popular vote, they will instead convince themselves that the only way to win is to adopt even more Republican policies than they already have (like the 2012 election). It’s like a ratchet. The pivot only goes one direction.
Luckily for progressives, if the Democrats win outright, they will demonstrate their magnanimity by reaching across the aisle and adopting even more Republican policies than they already have, although Republicans will quickly disavow those policies (like the 2008 election).
Being corporate centrists doesn’t appeal to anybody and they’re too stupid to see that being the lesser of two evils is nothing to brag about.
Being corporate centrists appeals to lots of people. Or, to be more specific, it appeals to lots of legal persons: the aforementioned corporations. They may not vote, but they more than make up for that in money. It’s nice to believe anyone even tries to appeal to mere voters at all.