Friday, July 29, 2011
E J Dionne doesn't like centrists either
And last Wed gave vent to his feelings on Centrism or The Art of Moving Fast to Stay in the Middle. In fact he gives a very good definition of the differences between moderation and centrism.
Moderation in politics is about balance. It means believing in a vibrant and innovative private sector and a government substantial enough to do what the private sector doesn’t, and it means enforcing sensible rules for economic competition. It means incentives for success, help for those making their way up, and security for the sick, the aging, the poor, the unlucky. It means balancing our love of individualism and our desire for community. This, in turn, means that reducing the budget deficit can’t rely only on cutting programs. Yes, taxes need to go up.If only we could get DC denizens to pay any attention to what America really wants instead of what their paymasters want.
All the polls I have ever seen peg the vast majority of Americans as moderate by this definition.
Centrism is something altogether different. It’s not a philosophy. It’s a position based on calculation. It doesn’t start with fixed principles. It measures where everyone else stands on some political spectrum at a given moment and then frantically adjusts.
Because centrism is reactive, you never really know what a centrist believes. Centrists are constantly packing their bags and chasing off to find a new location as the political conversation veers one way or another.
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