comment: >
  
  This is genius. You should run a campaign.
context: I mean, of course conservatives would have something to gain by embracing progressive economics - but then they wouldn't be conservatives anymore.
  You're asking if conservatives should fundamentally change their entire ideology and become liberals; of course liberals would think that's a great idea (myself included), but it seems a bit silly to propose to conservatives. >
  
  Keep in mind that neoliberalism and MAGA are two different things however they work together within the Republican party.
  So what I'm referring to is potentially a republican party that accepts progressive economics but is still against abortion, LGBTQ right, etc. >
  
  The problem with that thesis is that:
  
  
  The actual die-hard MAGA contingent is a relatively small minority 
  
  
  The rest of the Party either tolerates it or handwaves to MAGA sentiment because it gives them political power to enable their economic agenda that they prioritize over everything else.  And it is decidedly not what redditors consider "progressive economics"
  
  
  So, the majority are dead set against your idea.  Which means any hope for this would include the MAGAs taking full control of the Party, getting the voters to put an even crazier and more toxic GOP into more federal power, *and then hoping they want a "progressive" economic platform.  And while I believe there are some from that fringe that would put anything out if they thought it would get them more votes, any examination of their economic argument is to crater the social safety net, and federal spending in general.  They lean farther away from "progressive" economic policy than regular Republicans.  There's just no reason to believe they or their voters want anything to do with that idea. >
  
  Not with its current lineup. Policies that materially improve people's lives economically are off the table for the Republican Party and have been for at least half a century. Because since the civil rights movement those policies include black people. This is in fact one of the key reasons we don't have nice things. >
  
  Yeah these are the same people that filled in swimming pools rather than let black kids play in them. >
  
  I think they would benefit from becoming more left wing economically in certain areas, but not necessarily progressive
  Right wing populism is just that, populism, and populism necessarily needs to be against the elites. Republicans already used to attack the political establishment and Hollywood, but now figures like Trump and DeSantis are already regularly attacking billionaires and corporations, though mostly due to social values
  Adding in a bit of economic leftism/redistributionism would likely be a winning formula, essentially blaming billionaires and corporations for a large portion of America's problems is likely to resonate with "base" voters
  To be clear though, that doesn't somehow mean the GOP supporting massive welfare spending or the like, which would likely hurt them among their base
  Instead,  if I was a Trump aligned GOP strategist, I'd propose a strategy somewhat as follows (to be clear I do not support such a platform and do not think it would be economically advantageous, this is just what I think would be the political optimum for the GOP):
  
  
  Raise corporate taxes as well as income taxes on high income earners
  
  
  Cut taxes for the middle and lower middle class
  
  
  Create a clear distinction between blue collar jobs and service industry jobs. Support unionization and workers rights for the former, but not for the latter
  
  
  Large subsidies in traditionally culturally conservative industries, like agriculture and oil
  
  
  Large boost in military spending
  
  
  Essentially, quite similar to the "woke left" - viewing the social/cultural issues as the primary battleground and viewing economic policy as a secondary battleground, who's purpose is to mainly advance their respective social agendas
  For the "woke left", this usually ends up being mainly focusing on "identity politics" of race, gender or sexuality, focusing on inequalities in those areas, and then formulating economic policies almost entirely based on undoing those inequalities
  The perfect strategy for the emerging "Populist Right" is kind of the inverse: it has its own culturally conservative goals in its culture wars, and economic policy will similarly be used to advance said culture war positions.