What happened to the centrists?

[FightMyIgnorance]

@DerekMichaels00

I see Sanders’ rise as a product of Obama’s far-left pandering. .

Err…

Obama has governed as a Third Way Democrat since he was elected. If you can point me to when Obama began governing as a left-wing progressive (oh how I salivate at the idea), please, let me know.

Additionally, as a Sanders supporter, the idea that Sanders’ (relative to what he expected) popularity is based upon some kind of foundation built by Obama is extremely humorous. Obama, though he has governed competently, has done little for left-wing initiatives. Unless you consider the ACA, undoubtedly the crowning achievement of his presidency, left wing. (hint: it’s not.)

When your magnum opus piece of legislation is about mild as you can get while still calling it “healthcare reform”, I find that claims of Obama being a socialist, leftwinger, etc are rather detached from the reality of the situation.

[BrainGlutton]

@DerekMichaels00

What happened to the centrists?

They died out as being too boring to make the TV ratings. As well they should.

[Leaper]

@Qin_Shi_Huangdi

There is literally 0 chance than any of those people will have any influence on actual national Democratic politics.

Especially since hardcore progressives like the OP thinks are everywhere are the ones who see the Democratic party leadership and rank and file as so corrupted and beholden by the 1% that they’d rather let the Republicans, whom they think are evil incarnate, into power and destroy the country (their beliefs, forcefully stated, remember) than vote for anybody not named Sanders.

Note that they have obvious counterparts on the other side of the aisle, who are a lot more obvious and who hold a LOT more power in this country. I think that’s significant.

[FightMyIgnorance]

@Leaper

Especially since hardcore progressives like the OP thinks are everywhere are the ones who see the Democratic party leadership and rank and file as so corrupted and beholden by the 1% that they’d rather let the Republicans, whom they think are evil incarnate, into power and destroy the country (their beliefs, forcefully stated, remember) than vote for anybody not named Sanders.

As a “hardcore progressive” who intends to suck it up and vote for Hillary when Bernie inevitably loses, cite?

[Voyager]

@Stranger_On_A_Train

Reagan would be considered very much centrist with only a few concessions to the hyperconservative groups that have taken control of the RNC, and Nixon a ‘fruitcake liberal’, what with his wage freeze and removing the US from the gold standard. The irony is that Reagan’s earlier political prolifivities toward “New Deal” economic liberalism would be considered unspeakably “socialist” today.

You forgot Nixon’s EPA. But he was not a favorite of the right the way Goldwater was even in the early 1960s. He was a lot closer to the Rockefeller wing than the Goldwater wing.

Carson is a nutcase by any rational standard, and just the fact that he’s in the running speaks to just how far the political landscape of the US has shifted from the aggregate of industrialized nations (Russia notwithstanding). Hillary is all about getting Hillary elected as President, because she spent a good twenty-odd years getting Bill elected and keeping him in office despite his political and professional blundering, and for fuck’s sake she deserves her due. The sad thing is, she might even be an effective chief executive if she were not so politically polarizing and incapable of flexibility about working to any goal that isn’t hers. As it is, the current political paralysis is nothing compared to what we would see in her in office. I don’t know if we can cope with another four or more years of sequestration and non-effective foreign policy.

Stranger

Tea party inflexibility has worked pretty well for them if not for the country. And Obama’s flexibility did him little good. A bit more of LBJ grabbing them by the balls and letting their hearts and minds follow could help. Give them a chance to cooperate for a few months, and then lower the boom.