NYT Op Ed "The False Promise of the Moderate Democrat"

[NRaleighLiberal]

Struggle against the powerful, not accommodation of their interests, is how America produced the conditions for its greatest social reforms.

by Jamelle Bouie

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/07/opinion/bloomberg-schultz-moderate-democrat.html

There’s something odd about the self-described moderates and centrists considering a run for president. If “moderation” or “centrism” means holding broadly popular positions otherwise marginalized by extremists in either party, then these prospective candidates don’t quite fit the bill.

(removing two paragraphs so I can fit in two more - first is about Bloomberg's reaction to Warren's tax proposal on the weathy, second is about McAuliffe and his distaste for universal free college)

snip


And let’s not forget Howard Schultz, the former Starbucks chief executive who might run for president as an independent, who characterizes himself as a “centrist” despite holding positions that have little traction among the public as a whole. “We have to go after entitlements,” he has said, referring to the unpopular idea of cutting Social Security and Medicare to shrink the federal deficit.

snip - apology re the pay wall - worth the read.


these are two important paragraphs

You’ll find the answer in two comments from Joe Biden, who served two terms as vice president under President Barack Obama and is mulling a third run for the Democratic nomination. The first is from a speech in 2018, the second from more recent remarks to the United States Conference of Mayors. Speaking last May at the Brookings Institution, Biden rejected the confrontational language of some other Democrats. “I love Bernie, but I’m not Bernie Sanders,” he said. “I don’t think 500 billionaires are the reason we’re in trouble. I get into a lot of trouble with my party when I say that wealthy Americans are just as patriotic as poor folks.”

Speaking a month ago, Biden defended his praise for Fred Upton, the electorally embattled Republican congressman from Ohio whom he commended in a paid speech last year. Republicans used these comments to bolster Upton in campaign advertising, helping him win a narrow victory over his Democratic challenger. Biden’s response to critics was defiant. “I read in The New York Times today that I — that one of my problems is if I ever run for president, I like Republicans,” he said. “O.K., well, bless me, father, for I have sinned.”

much more at the link above.

[zipplewrath]

1. Tyranny of the centrists

If there’s a major division within Democratic politics, it’s between those who confront and those who seek to accommodate. Because we lack a varied vocabulary in mainstream political discourse, we call the latter “moderates” or “centrists,” which doesn’t capture the dynamic at work.

Centrists are arrogant because they are always "in the game". Doesn't matter who is governing, they are generally needed to move legislation forward. As such, they develop an over inflated sense of importance and attempt to marginalize people to far away from them. The above definition of "moderates" or "centrist" fits very well in many of the discussions around here. Do we seek to confront, or do we seek to accommodate?

[QC]

2. "Centrists Are the Most Hostile to Democracy, Not Extremists"

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/23/opinion/international-world/centrists-democracy.html

[Me.]

3. Frankly I Found His Reponse To The Upton Matter Flip & Dismissive

there are reasons the Dems don't trust Cons and he may've accepted 200, 000 of them.

[NRaleighLiberal]

4. Kicking a good read

[Hassin Bin Sober]

5. K and R