Political strategist Bradley Tusk claims the key to solving polarization is to increase primary election turnout from its typical 10%. He argues mobile voting could boost participation to 40%, forcing politicians to appeal to a more moderate majority rather than catering exclusively to the ideological extremes and special interests that currently dominate low-turnout primaries.
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Political strategist Bradley Tusk warns that the tech industry is in a bubble regarding public perception of AI. He predicts AI will be a major target in upcoming elections, blamed for both job losses and rising energy prices from data centers. Challengers will use anti-AI sentiment as a powerful tool against incumbents, a reality most in tech are not prepared for.
Bradley Tusk, known for his work with Uber, advises startups to focus their regulatory efforts on state and local governments. He argues that achieving federal-level change is akin to a miracle. In contrast, states offer 50 different opportunities to pass favorable legislation, establish precedent, and build momentum for broader change.
Oklahoma City's mayor is elected in a non-partisan system where all candidates face all voters. This incentivizes building a broad coalition from the 70% of moderates, rather than appealing to the polarized extremes common in closed party primaries.
Centrist policies don't have to be boring. By framing sensible, evidence-based ideas as "radical," moderates can capture public imagination and compete with the loud fringes of the political spectrum, making effective governance more appealing and electorally viable.
Mayor David Holt argues the perception of a polarized America is misleading. He believes a 70% moderate majority is silenced by an electoral system, particularly closed primaries, that empowers the extreme 15% on each side to select polarizing candidates.
The perception of a deeply divided society is largely an artifact of a political system built on competition and elections, which forces people into two opposing camps. A system based on deliberation would reveal that most people's views are not so rigidly coherent, and it would encourage finding common ground rather than winning at all costs.
Manchin argues that closed primary systems, controlled by the two major parties, disenfranchise the largest bloc of American voters: independents. He suggests this restriction on participation could be legally challenged under the Voting Rights Act to open up the candidate selection process.
When streamer Destiny mobilized his Twitch followers for the Georgia Senate runoff, he fielded more people knocking on doors than the official Democratic Party. This marks a critical shift where online media entities can surpass traditional political parties in real-world mobilization.
With over 90% of congressional districts being non-competitive, the primary election is often the only one that matters. Buttigieg argues this incentivizes candidates to appeal only to their party's extreme flank, with no need to build broader consensus for a general election.
The conventional wisdom that moderate candidates are more electable is a myth. Elections are won by turnout, not by appealing to the median voter. A polarizing figure who excites their base will often win by a larger margin than a moderate who fails to generate enthusiasm.
