US presidential elections aren’t about swaying your base. They’re about swaying very specific swing states.

The electoral college means pushing to the center is the only way for progressives to win an election. Conservatives can generally do what they want, they have an inherent advantage in the electoral college.

Giving up the chance to make small change because you refuse to compromise only means that, within the system we have here, we end up backsliding. Every small improvement is hard won, and giving up means dramatic losses.

It’s a shit system, but it’s the system we currently have to work with.