Centrist Bunny
The word “centrist” gets thrown around a lot lately, but on the political left, it is more likely to describe a moderate Democrat. What is the difference? That can be found by meeting someone we know named “Carl.” He is perhaps like other U.S. voters today. For starters, his political and policy information arrives largely from cable TV “news.” Unfortunately, that often involves superficial shiny objects that originate from the Republicans, from Hillary Clinton‘s emails to Hunter Biden‘s laptop to Sydney Sweeney‘s clothing, and more. Even the supposedly non-Republican TV “news” networks like CNN and MSNBC spend lots of time on these GOP distraction squirrels.
10 years ago, Carl was pretty firmly in the Republican camp (though we’re not sure where he was before that). The GOP’s 40-year Culture War apparently had won him over. Carl felt that the Republicans somehow appealed to his manhood. Living in a red state, he also fondly talked about his gun collection. When Donald Trump came along as a presidential candidate in 2015 and subsequently won in 2016, Carl supported him.
Now, however, Carl has shifted his stance, or feels that the Republicans have shifted too far to the right and away from him, or both. At a recent lunch, Carl first said that Trump is an idiot. However, Carl went on to describe political positions that appeared to choose almost evenly from the very different Democratic and Republican Party platforms and agendas. After saying he can’t stand Trump, he said that the Democrats should not be operating “sanctuary cities” that give free stuff to illegal immigrants. After saying he loves “Obamacare” i.e. the Affordable Care Act, Carl stated that Hunter Biden is a problem. While Carl expressed great concern about Trump’s and the Republicans’ move to fascism and their destruction of the balance between the three branches of government, somehow that wasn’t enough to turn Carl blue.
Instead, while leaving the restaurant, Carl confessed, “I’m a centrist, and there’s no political party for me.” He left no impression that he is ready to vote an up-and-down Democratic ticket, or even to vote at all, in upcoming elections. That is very different from moderate Democrats, who may drive those on the far left crazy by not following cult figures and not being wedded to catchy proposals like the “Green New Deal,” but who strongly support mainstream Democratic Party values and consistently vote for Democratic candidates.
The challenge for the Democratic Party, its candidates and its supporters is to try to attract voters like Carl the Centrist while of course staying true to those Democratic values. It’s fair to say that the Democrats will need every vote they can get in the 2026 and 2028 elections. Listening to these centrist voters’ concerns, and pointing them to the Democratic Party as the non-crazy, non-fascist big tent could yield some success. Likewise, Democrats can point out that the Republican Party is now full of Trump cultists and all but devoid of moderates, meaning that, for a centrist, the likelihood of getting mostly far-right policies by voting for Republicans is much greater than the likelihood of getting mostly far-left policies by voting for Democrats. We can see those results right now, and compare them to the policies five years ago under President Joe Biden‘s administration.
The good news may be that, with each passing day, the Republican Party drifts ever rightward, which more than likely alienates the real centrists even further.
Photo by OiMax, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/s90m7B
