A Centrist Democrat Won Tonight.

[readmoreoften]

And the moderate Right Wing candidate lost. He may not be "Far Right" like BushCo, but he is a moderate RW candidate.

Being pro-small business, moderately progressive on social issues (for gay marriage and protective of Roe), and moderate on foreign policy (pulling out of a bad war) makes you a centrist Democrat in my book.

Being pro-small business, pro-worker, for socialization of some services (like health), very progressive on social issues (gay marriage, ENDA, funded abortions for the poor, no parental notification), and progressive on foreign policy (not only vote to pull out of a war, but change the course of foreign policy) makes you a left-leaning Democrat in my book

Being a pure socialist on economic issues, radical on social issues (end all civil unions, all reproductive care--including abortion--paid for by the state), and very left on foreign policy (no war unless directly attacked) makes you a member of the "far left" in my book.

[bridgit]

1. i consider myself a centrist...

:patriot:

[readmoreoften]

2. I'm cool with centrists!

But I think there are some people who want us to have a "right wing" Democrat category and that doesn't exist anymore than the "left wing" Republican category.

I salute you back, fellow Democrat :)

[bridgit]

3. yup, we've had the mood swings of late: back/forth, push/pull, in/out..

up/down, sweet/sour, salt/pepper, right/wrong...my sense is that america is best, or better served from within a state of balance :thumbsup: :hi:

[readmoreoften]

7. I'm a left-leaning Democrat myself.

But I'm not "far left" enough to be part of the socialist party. Of course, I believe that only the communist party is the "polar opposite" of the Regime, because they are fascist.

[Wonk]

4. He first won his seat in 1988 by running to the RIGHT of the Republican

Lowell Weicker.

Worth remembering, imho.

[Tempest]

5. Let's hope the DLC is paying attention

Otherwise they'll quickly get tossed in the shitcan of history if they don't move away from the right and back to the center.

[Clark2008]

6. Actually, I thought a populist won.`

:hi:

[Blue_Tires]

8. wow...if that's what you call centrist

then what is Hank Johnson?

[readmoreoften]

9. He seems pretty centrist to me. Agains the war, universal health care.

I don't know where he stands on abortion or gay rights. I consider anti-Roe Democrats to be out line with the party view, period. They are conservative on that issue. For example, I don't think that a pro-labor, anti-big business, anti-choice, moderate hawk is a "centrist"... I think they're all over the map. Another thing is gay marriage. I think that there are only two positions out there on that right now: cowardly and right wing. The Democrats are the party of civil rights (at least in the past 40 years.) I think that someday when the party gets its center back it will embrace this issue as it does Roe. There is nothing moderate about some civil union half-measure that keeps people as second citizens because as soon as they apply for health insurance their "union" isn't "covered" in another state. And there's certainly nothing Democratic about "defense of Marriage Acts", they aren't even conservative. They're a testbook case of reactionary.

[rock]

10. Although I am left-wing, I notice that

there are NO centrist conservatives. It goes against the grain. Only democrats can be centrist.