I wrote my Politico column yesterday on how Democrats are further left than ever, but couching their program in sobriety, traditional political norms, and even patriotism (and they did even more of this last night):
The wildness of Trump makes it possible for them to try to sell a “safe socialism,” or a politics that is consistently left wing but tries not to scare the horses.
It may not have been his intention, but you could be forgiven for thinking that, in his convention speech, Bill Clinton sought to situate Hillary on the left, while making her sound as boring as someone who has spent the entirety of her adult life attending committee meetings and serving on task forces.
Running against Trump the populist, there was little risk Hillary could go too far left with her VP pick, say by choosing Elizabeth Warren or Tom Perez. She still opted for the aggressively normal Tim Kaine, a career politician who has maintained the affect of a suburban dad. He comes off like the neighbor you trust to return your rake after borrowing it. If you found him in Trump Tower, he would be wandering around in the lobby wearing a fanny pack mingling with the tourists on a trip with the kids.
The self-styled party of normality is even playing the patriotism card. In 2008, Michelle Obama notoriously declared herself proud of her country for the first time. The other day she pronounced us the greatest country on earth (i.e., no need to make it great again). In his unveiling as Hillary’s running mate, Kaine hit Trump for calling the military “a disaster.” How long before Democrats talk of a “shining city on a hill” and say it’s wrong to criticize the troops?