Progressive Policies that Should have Centrist Appeal

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When Republican Senator and Former Presidential hopeful, John McCain, passed last August, the Democrats suggested renaming the Senate Russell Building in honor of the beloved politician. Some saw this as an olive branch but, as usual, Republicans didn’t bite. Instead, the conservative-moderate continued to cooperate with right-leaning extremist and decided to forsake other moderates on the left. The American political climate has been wrought with division and the traditional two-party system polarized with increased voter radicalization. As the two parties spread apart, independents have become largely apathetic.

For the Democrats, this is a special concern. Liberals currently sit at the center of the party establishment, but a growing number of progressive voters threaten to overtake them. If liberals want to maintain their position as the party moderate, they must be capable of mending the divide. Progressives have unsatiable demands and the moderate-right is infamously slow to react to change. Many of the policies suggested by progressives are untenable to the right, however, there are a few progressive policies out there that will undoubtedly have centrist appeal.

Voter Registration Modernization

Moderates and centrist tend to believe in a balanced social system. To that end, liberals should be heavily concerned with voting rights reform as it aims to help working-class Americans compete with the 1%. Wealth redistribution is the go-to solution for progressives but conservatives value the idea of ‘earning’ what you have. Wealth redistribution sounds too much like socialism but Voting Modernization is more in-line with democracy and helps solve the same issue.

Some of the proposed solutions are:

1. “Vote by Mail” or Vote-at-Home (VAH) — This is a popular form of voting reform that is easy to sell to any party. Not only is it convenient but it heavily increases voter turnout and it’s cheaper. Vox writes, In 2016, Pew did a close analysis of Colorado’s experience shifting to VAH after sweeping 2013 election reforms. Among its findings: “Costs decreased by an average of 40 percent in five election administration-related categories.” VAH systems also have positive test results in Alaska, Nebraska, Washington State, and Oregon.
2. Election Day as a Federal Holiday — Having it set on a Tuesday might appeal to tradition but makes voting difficult for working-class families. Voting should be a celebration of our freedoms and our democracy, not a chore to ignore at the beginning of the week.
3. Automatic Voter Registration — Voters would automatically get registered to vote on their 18th birthday. This is largely favored by progressives but has the possibility to attract more independents as it would increase the strength of their voices. Being known as the party who pushed for voting equality could serve as an incentive for voters to vote, run, and work with the democratic party.

Universal Basic Income

The idea that each citizen should be disbursed some income from the federal government is not a new idea. Some will scream ‘socialism’ or ‘wealth-redistribution’ but that’s just a rhetorical red-herring. Many places have already tried UBI (including the northern-most state of Alaska) and with positive results. UBI has the potential to address many of the social problems that concern the progressive left and avoid the multiple concerns that often plague those on the right.

1. Less Bureaucracy — With every citizen receiving liquid funds from the government, there is now a legitimate argument to cut other, more costly social programs. Many conservatives like the idea of a smaller government and if everyone was receiving direct compensation, the government could afford to decrease funds to the more complex and confusing welfare programs out there.
2. Simplicity — Conservatives tend to favor simple solutions that affect everyone the same and respect the agency of an individual. Cash-in-hand is simple and flexible. Each individual can use it to make the best decisions that they can and it goes to everyone. Liquid currency is a powerful way to extend the reach of a nation while giving each individual full access to its benefits.

Police Body Cameras

Not every good idea will be a liberal idea. Governing requires that one compromises with those who hold different opinions. In this case, a more authoritarian policy has the potential to mend the gap and help mend the divide between left-leaning liberals and right-leaning liberals.

One only needs to look at the success of police dash-cams to understand how valuable body-cams would be for the officers involved. Extending the use of camera technology to the officer's person would allow those same legal tools and protections to reach even further. In a contentious criminal case, a jury would get to see more of the officers perspective, increasing the likelihood that a criminal goes to jail and an officer gets vindicated for lawful service.

It seems as if the US liberals have lost sight of what has cemented their place in the center of the body politic for so long. Liberalism is about loosening the burdens of life while respecting the autonomy of the individual. If left-leaning liberals were able to institute more policies like those mentioned above, they would see less division from progressives and more harmony from their fellow representatives just across the aisle. If however, they fail to deliver on their namesake, they will continue to face contention from their friends and former allies.