Liberal and Progressive = Centrist

[Peacetrain]

I am not sure how to phrase this, but let me try. This whole meme that the core of the country is center right, just does not ring true to me.

The core of the country is center. That is where you will find most voters. But they are not right center, Liberal and Progressives ARE center.

Our values are the nations values.

Now I know we have our fringe also, but is it our fringe NOT our base.

For the republicans their fringe has become their base.

We as liberals and progressives are the center of the nation politically. So when people say Obama is moving to the center, well , he was always there, as were we.

We reflect the country. Not them.

[John Q. Citizen]

1. For data to prove your assertians see Pew research. They have long term and

extensive data that shows the country consistently favors liberal progressive solutions to perceived problems.

However, if you ask people to self describe their political orientation most will say center or conservative.

[Peacetrain]

3. Ahh thank you...

I remember reading some of the pew research.. The right wing did such a number on demonizing the word liberal and progressive, that people avoid the words, but not the philosophy

[riqster]

2. Centrist voters are always the majority

...that's the way statistics work. Right now, more people are center-left, thus the center vote is center-left.

It has been heading leftwards for just over three years now, as the populace got a bellyfull of 'right' ideology and saw it in practice.

However, that does not address the actual philosophy of the center: the participation question looms large. A lot of left/center-left voters sat on the sidelines for a few cycles, and were finally motivated to vote in 2008. My gut tells me that there are many more liberals out there still that are sitting back: the right-wing nutbags have been out in force for years now. But without participation, we can't really know the mood of the nation.

[Peacetrain]

4. We as liberals and progressives need to claim our leadership

and majority. I think we have felt (unwisely) that we were somehow out in the wilderness and have a hard time accepting that most people agree with us.. NOT THEM :).. they have just done a heck of job trying to relabel us, but that is just word. That is all the right has, its hate and fear.. and it is time for us to take on the mantle of majority with a little authority and pride.

We need to hem those liars of the right in and expose them so people are not fearful of words.

[riqster]

5. Agreed!

And along with reclaiming our own identity, we need to expose the 1984-esque MiniTruth distortions of language that apply across the spectrum. My pet peeves:

"Conservative" now equals "Reagan Revolutionaries" HellOOOoooooo, revolutionaries are NEVER conservative. Oxymoronic.

"President G.W. Bush"...Presidents are ELECTED, not appointed. Dubya has never been a President, and I have thus far managed to not call him by that undeserved title.

There are many more, of course.

:hi:

[unpossibles]

6. I agree - in fact this election was proof that in a contest between the

centerish left (Obama) and the centerish right (McCain), people overwhelmingly chose the center-left. When adding into the mix someone like Palin (more hard-right), then it pushed the voters even further left.

Many on the right - their base - rejected McCain and said he was too liberal (lol - those ignorant nutjobs). Many of them stayed home.

Meanwhile on the left, we were able to unite the farther left with the more moderate left to support Obama. In short, our base accepted and supported our candidate, while the right rejected their own, ironically because he was not enough of an asshole for them. Meanwhile, trying to appeal to that hateful base, they scared off the majority - the middle.

I think we've been working hard to restore meaning and pride to the word "liberal" and that it's sinking in. In fact, I think it swung the other way because people realized that they were sick of the hoodwinking, the mud slinging, and the lies and hate. They dug their own grave politically, and I am glad so many seemed to realize it.

[Peacetrain]

7. I love seeing people embrace the term liberal again

It makes me so happy

[...of J.Temperance]

8. You obviously don't understand what a Centrist is....I am a Centrist Democrat

I don't identify as Liberal or Progressive.

Yes I'm Liberal on social issues, but I'm not a Liberal....I support a number of what one would term Progressive issues, but I'm not a Progressive.

Centrism is a Third Way.

I agree that the majority of the mainstream are Centrists, but they answer pollsters that they're Centrists and not Liberals or Progressives, NOT because they don't understand the term Centrist, but because they're NOT Liberals or Progressives.

[Peacetrain]

9. Well my friend , I respectfully disagree

:hi:.. the word liberal as I have posted before, has been under attack for 20 years. Liberals by definition, are centrists in the fact they are listening to both sides. Now the Rushs and Hannitys of the world have tried to demonize that word and apply things to it, "like bomb thrower, and baby killer" that are 180 degrees opposite of what liberal is.

So again, I say, the center is center left not center right.

The Center is where most people are, and most people if you ask them without the "label" liberal or progressive or conservative, will agree with our values and plans.

So again, as democrats we need to reclaim our majority, and stop hiding from the fact that most people agree with us