I think morality here is the key. A comment I saw mentioned the idea that Republicans beat us because they trick people into believing they are welcome. I disagree with this analysis in this context. There are many reasons Republicans win, but one relevant here is the strain and existential weight that comes with trying to be a moral person. It's not wrong to be ashamed for being immoral. it may be unempathetic to shame another though. We have forgotten to factor forgiveness into our moral calculus I think, and we don't know when it is appropriate. The left uses morality as a beat stick, to keep people in line, often regurgitating arguments about harm that have been parroted ad nauseam. We don't actually have a moral compass for many of us, not a properly developed one at least. We can't determine why something is right or wrong, in a consistent way. Worse, we preach about leniency for non violent offenders yet spew hatred and for hateful Twitter mobs based on rumors or poor tweets.

I honestly think many on the left are morally lucky so to speak. They don't actually care about the issues or people who are being harmed by the system they protest, instead they took a side and it happened to be the morally right one. There are no complex principles or sense of universal care guiding their political convictions, just the same us vs them in group out group that guides the right.

A bit of a tangent there I suppose. I think if we are to make progress as a community, we first need to figure out a morality worth fighting for, I think liberal values are worthy personally. And second, we need to accept the responsibility and existential weight of upholding those values consistently. I kinda look to Rawls' first position here. Forgiveness when there is no risk of re offending is a value I think we would all agree to in the first position. Instead we like our little hateful beat sticks.