It’s almost like running to the center doesn’t convince those on the right of anything. No matter what you do anyone left of McCain or so will be a radical leftist. May as well be an actual leftist
Always has been the case. IIRC, back in the 40’s during an early ‘Red Scare’ in the US, a massive union purged a lot of members that it suspected of being communists/communist sympathizers to try and appear as though they were not too leftist.
The union was accused of being communists anyway.