The Orwellian redefining of the meaning of the words "centrist" and "moderate" by the right wing

[wyldwolf]

3. hasn't there also been a redefining of the meaning of those words by the left wing?

Hardly a day goes by without some skirmish on DU on whether 'centrists' even exist. Centrism is call a 'sham,' centrists are called 'Reagan Democrats,' blah blah blah. What was that often quoted but ultimately naive Jim Hightower quote about dead armadillos?

There's a little bit of that going on in your OP. It's worded beautifully but the underlying message is 'liberals are really centrists and centrists are really right wingers.' It's another attempt to move the measuring stick. Based on my years on DU, I can see your point being taken to it's logical DU conclusion in the upcoming primary battle: Bernie Sanders is the centrist in the race!

To me, centrism isn't always looking for the middle ground on an issue. Some people really can take a conservative approach on some issues and a liberal approaches on others and are, thus, centrists.