A lack of free and critical thinking is probably the reason the Right have such an easy time falling in line with whatever their figurehead happens to be peddling at the time.
The right falls in line because they're fascists who are afraid of thinking for themselves. Diversity of thought causes discourse, that's a natural fact, but it should be celebrated as a strength. Looking for leftists to shut up and fall in line is like peak "enlightened centrist" thinking.
There's fascists, american monarchists, libertarians, religious nuts, the rare fiscally conservative, the 2A'ers, etc.
Who said "leftists to shut up"? Not me. You can bemoan the 2 party system all you want, but it's what's here. The way for the left to be actually effective in achieving at least some of its goals is to give Dems consistent and overwhelming victories.
They definitely can. It's been off putting lately that the left has a check list that I have to hit every mark on to not be seen as a right winger.
There are leftist who are Christian.
There are leftists who are against abortion, but understand that education and reproductive health (including allowing abortions) is an important and productive way to reduce abortions, instead of bans.
There are leftists who are still traditional, holding morals and ethics that aren't fluid but also not rigid.
No one is truly happy about their political choices. Except for the insane 1/3 of Americans on the Maga train maybe.
It's relative. Left of center is what most people mean when they say "the American Left" (ie, EVERYONE who doesn't consider themselves wing or neutral, from centrist dems to communists and anarchists). What YOU folks call "the Left", most Americans would call "the extreme Left". Not extreme as in your ideas are extremist, but as in you're just a tiny minority waaaay out there beyond what most people left of center believe.