Fighting with Trump Is the New Democratic Litmus Test

Chuck Todd: “It’s a way for moderates to earn the left’s emotional allegiance without having to contort themselves ideologically. Progressives may not love every policy choice Newsom or Kelly has made, but they love seeing Democrats who punch back. They are motivated by the fight as much as by the platform.”

“Newsom understands this better than most. He genuinely believes he’s a moderate — that California Democrats have been caricatured nationally as uniformly far-left, and that he himself is less progressive than the brand assigned to him. He may be right. But he also knows this perception is a problem he can solve after he is taken seriously as a front-runner. And right now, thanks to his high-profile confrontations, he pretty much is.”

“Kelly benefits from the same dynamic. He didn’t move left. He didn’t change his priorities. He simply showed a willingness to throw a punch — and suddenly the progressive world was praising him for his toughness rather than scrutinizing him for ideological purity.”