Formerly a Post on Consequentialism
There was a post here about centrism, but now consider it something of an open thread..
Tagged: centrism
“You don’t ‘seize’ the center, you create the center”
When I learned it, I thought the motion for this month’s Intelligence Squared U.S. debate – “The GOP Must Seize the Center or Die” – was simply dreadful. How could the opposing case possibly be made without fighting a losing battle with the proposition itself? Of course the GOP needs to win more votes from the center; of course they’ve been successfully characterized as out-of-touch with centrists. And indeed, the pre-debate poll showed a staggering 65% in favor of the […]
Liberalism, Centrism, and Libertarianism
Since I have been called a “fake liberal” recently, I thought I’d delve into the subject once again. I am a liberal mainly because the rather short arc of liberalism traces pretty well alongside...
There’s more than one way to skin a moderate
[Updated] Writing of Evan Bayh, Ross Douthat opines: America needs politicians who stake out interesting, politically-courageous positions on important policy questions. What it doesn’t need is politicians who occupy the safest possible ground on...
The politics of pettiness ctd.
Scott has a thoughtful follow-up to my anti-pettiness screed. I want to point out, however, that far more than the problems with populism, I was writing about the problems with elites manipulating it for...
The Radical, Certifiably Insane…Middle
I dare anyone to read today’s David Broder column and tell me that it is in any way, shape, or form less insane than anything that Ron Paul or Dennis Kucinich have ever said. ...
Sacrificing Ideology at the Altar of Culture
Jamelle writes: “In a lot of cases, the aim of liberals isn’t necessarily to massively expand the reach of government as much as it is to add some intentionality and rationality — as well...
The Anti-Broder Center
Mark: Something I’ve been noticing lately is that the perjorative “centrist” has been getting applied with increasing regularity to an entirely new group of people by both left and right. Historically, it’s been a...
