Here’s why pandering to centrists doesn’t work: centrists in this country are either conservatives who are in denial or liberals who are uninspired. You can’t activate either one of these by watering down your messaging with moderate Democrat rhetoric about bipartisanship, because the former will ignore you (the conservative candidate is more appealing to them), and the latter will also ignore you (because you made yourself look too similar to your opponent).

Also, there is a Third Type of Centrist: the smug “Both Sides are Bad” guy who refuses to vote at all. This guy is not worth a discussion because he draws a false equivalence between warmongers and moderate bureaucrats who want to increase taxes.

So how do you get the uninspired liberal to vote for you? You present them with a compelling alternative to the status quo. Something that will actually, materially change their lives. Things such as:

• More money to spend: lower prices or higher wages
• Better transportation: safer, cheaper, faster, and/or more convenient
• Increased security: not only from violence and theft, but from homelessness, layoffs, and natural disasters
• Better healthcare: cheap, accessible, private and effective

If there’s one thing that we can learn from Trump, it’s that you don’t need precedent. In fact, precedent is a burden. As long as you’re charismatic, promising to try something this nation has never tried is refreshing and inspiring. Learn from the solutions proposed by those who lost before you and punch harder than they did.