Reaching for the center is what got Clinton into office -- but in the
process, the Democrats allowed the Republicans to pull the supposed
"center" further to the right than it has ever been before...which
is why the far right loonies now feel (and I can't entirely disagree)
that they own one side of the debate.
So, let me pose what will probably be considered rhetorical questions
within a few years, if not already: when the only viewpoints that the
public hears are center or far-right, is that center truly centric
anymore? Can centrists even exist in the absence of powerful voices
from BOTH right and left?
I agree that the strong voices on
the left need to be willing to compromise, and so do the strong voices on
the right (though right now they won't, because they think they've got God
on their side -- and they aren't far off, 'cause they do have the power.)
In order to have an effective center, we need strong voices to lead from
that centrist point of view, and who are willing to listen to both the
left and the right without always screaming "hey, you idiots, why haven't
you comrpomised yet?"
The center IS the comrpomise between the right and the left. It is the
center between those poles. Without them, it doesn't even exist.
'Dismayed by the system they helped to create, some veteran political strategists are out to subvert it -- and create a better choice for 2008.' 'One of the many things that differentiate Unity08 from earlier third-party movements is that its fou
Tracked: Jan 17, 09:36