In order to understand politics, I think it is important to understand the general categories of people that one has to deal with. This is not to say that one has to appeal to ALL of them, but just to be aware of how each one would likely react to any new proposal.
First and largest are those people who simply never get involved, or at least, those who only get involved when they're directly inconvenienced in some way. For the most part, you can ignore these people, just as long as you don't go out of your way to piss them off. Second are the people who are just plain set in their ways and will oppose any new ideas simply because they're new. You can ignore these people also, because they tend to be all-talk-no-action, and once a new policy is put into effect, regardless of how often they spoke against it, will usually just accept it after the fact. Third, are the fringe groups such as conspiracy theorists and radicals and cults and miscellaneous extremists. You can ignore them as well, because they tend to be relatively small in number and aren't taken seriously by anyone else. That leaves just five major groups that are actually politically impactful.
First and largest are those people who simply never get involved, or at least, those who only get involved when they're directly inconvenienced in some way. For the most part, you can ignore these people, just as long as you don't go out of your way to piss them off. Second are the people who are just plain set in their ways and will oppose any new ideas simply because they're new. You can ignore these people also, because they tend to be all-talk-no-action, and once a new policy is put into effect, regardless of how often they spoke against it, will usually just accept it after the fact. Third, are the fringe groups such as conspiracy theorists and radicals and cults and miscellaneous extremists. You can ignore them as well, because they tend to be relatively small in number and aren't taken seriously by anyone else. That leaves just five major groups that are actually politically impactful.
2. Socialists and Communists: Again, I include communists because they're just the extreme end of the socialist spectrum. Socialists simply don't trust the free market system to provide opportunities for everyone, so they want a safety net for those who can't provide for themselves. Those who can afford it should pay the way for those who can't. I can totally see their point as well. Some are opposed to the idea of wealth inequality at all, but for must of them, it would be sufficient to know that no one is going hungry.
3. Bourgeois Liberals: On first glance, they may seem hypocritical, but I suspect that the majority of them are well-meaning. They are charitable up to but not including making any real sacrifice. They support all the same progressive social causes that their friends support. They don't deep dive into research on political issues, but they're willing to listen when you volunteer information. They're not the sort who would march in protest, but they will show moral support with a nice t-shirt or bumper sticker. It's actually pretty easy to get these people on your side as long as you make it fashionable. The one drawback is that they tend to drop support pretty quickly for any individual who has a falling out with the leadership of the DNC. Basically, they're the sort of people who can't wait to tell you about their "black friend."
4. Moralists: Some might call them Christian Conservatives or Religious Fundamentalists, but I suspect that religion has very little to do with it, beyond the surface level. What these people believe, simply put, is that they way they were raised is "right," and anything that differs is "wrong." They see anything nontraditional or unamerican as a deliberate act of rebellion. If you want the support of these people, you have to frame it in a way that appeals to their existing ethos. In other words, they want to be good little boys and girls, and you have to show them that you're also coming from a place of being the good little boy.
5. Assholes: There are plenty of other words I could have used, but this one was the most accurate. The Assholes are the ones who want the outward appearance of a meritocratic system with free market capitalism and winner-take-all and upward mobility within the social hierarchy, but with a single caveat. No one but themselves is allowed to win. These are the people who want everything handed to them while pretending that they earned it fair-and-square. They want to see the little guy suffer and they want to see him realize that it was his own fault. They treat the world like a big game of monopoly that they force others to play, and they throw a temper tantrum unless if the game isn't rigged in their favor. They're spoiled, entitled, greedy, arrogant, narcissistic, and worst of all, feel like they deserve the right to be so because they were "smarter" or "bolder" or "worked harder." They're the sort of people who use the phrase "alpha male" unironically. If you want the support of these people, you have to trick them. Fortunately, they're usually pretty stupid and easy to trick.
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