We, the centrists, aren’t the problem
I’m pretty sick of this idea that the issues within the Democratic Party are being laid at the feet of the “centrists”.
A key difference here: centrism is not an ideology, but an approach to governing. The only real difference between centrism and progressivism (which is an approach, not an ideology) is that the latter focuses more on participatory action that could be utilized for an ideological outcome and the former focuses on an overarching, pragmatic, analytical, fact-based approach to decision making in government.
Centrists are not political moderates. Centrists don’t care about political ideology. Centrists care about a healthy, functioning, and engaging society that is accessible to all, that respects the rights of all, that respects the liberties of all. Political moderation is a blatant political tactic that is meant to win over voters.
The problem in the Democratic Party is not the centrists. The problem is not even the hard left. The real issue is that the party began to neglect state and congressional level organization that torched the party in two brutal mid-terms which featured depressed turnout. The Party stopped communicating. As much of an Obama supporter I actually am, he had a hard time effectively communicating how irrationally virulent the Republican Party (and conservatism, now a tribe of grievance instead of an ideology rooted in limited government) has become.
Centrists have plenty of damn good ideas as to how the Democratic Party can present themselves as the party of inclusion, the party of common sense, the party of reason, and the party that can shepherd a stable republic for all. The burn it all down, us-versus-them populism isn’t the way to go. Populism doesn’t lead to responsible governing — Donald Trump proves that. This idea adherence to an ideology must come first before anything is how conservatives have managed to wreck state budgets from coast to coast.
