I agree with much of what Timothy Egan has to say in his recent New York Times blog post (1/20/10), but I’m tired of hearing this:
Democrats have to govern in a country that is essentially center-right.
What does that even mean? To the right of the center of what? It’s like saying that all the kids are above average.
While I appreciate your point, I can think of two ways to interprete this meaningfully. The first is in an international context: the US is to the right of many European countries, for example. The second is in a theoretical framework in which all forms of capitalism are considered “right” and all forms of socialism “left.” in this context, one could argue that the US is center-right in absolute terms. What bothers me most about the statement is the idea that Democratic politicians are somehow divergent from this norm: given that most are in favor of capitalism and opposed to extending welfare states to the degree they have been in some European countries, it seems that the Democratic Party is center-right in the same sense and has a major role in shaping this position in American politics.
A small clarification is in order here. It’s a political spectrum. You have the right-wing and you have the left-wing of the political parties. Then there are the Democrats and the Republicans who operate in the center of this political spectrum. When you see the phrase “center-right” it means that the nation has traditional values and “center-left” means that a political figure or a voter has non-traditional values and visions for the country. Socialism is something a lot of politically angry people seem to want for the country because they do not speak out against Obama’s visions. Socialism isn’t part of America’s make-up and so it is called a non-traditional ideology and therefore it is labeled “center-left”. A nation that’s “center-right” means that traditional values and democracy is the majority of the country. Reporters and columnists mistakenly think the country is “center-left” because Obama was elected in 2008. The thing they fail to mention is Obama was elected in American Idol fashion. He was more popular on the campaign trail than McCain and then you have the Hillary factor as well. Although she got out of the race there are Democrats out there who call themselves “Clinton Democrats” to differentiate between Clinton’s centrist policies and Obama’s far-left policies.
So, “center-right” and “center-left” isn’t simply a like or dislike of capitalism.
CMF,
Please! Do give us a break. There are no “socialists” in either party, and Obama and Clinton’s policy prescriptions were virtually indistinguishable. Your penchant for simplistic thought surely knows no bounds.
BTW, Obama can only loosely be called a liberal. Far-Left? You should read more.
If the characterization of the United States as “center-right” were based on an international perspective, or on the range of possible politico-economic systems, then the vast majority of the Democratic Party would be labeled by Newsweek as right of center–which they aren’t, obviously. Rather, the observation is made by pundits who are making the popular corporate media point that Democrats need, always, to move to the right.
Here’s the meaning: “Democrats have to govern in a political system that is essentially center-right when compared to the wishes of the people.”
“Center-right” is a fictitious illusion the blowhards in the various media use to describe the America they prefer instead of an honest assessment of where Americans actually stand on most issues. It is a convenient myth to toss about when they want (and that is almost always) to slant the discussion or to shut down any discussion (when they control the microphone).
There we go again, using names. How about just discussing issues on theit merits and what improvement will do for our democracy. Maybe we still have not found a way to awaken the common humanity that most of us must possess and how we should be decrying the part of our thinking that negates the real meaning of democracy.
Where it all goes pear shaped is the fact that in European countries both American political parties are viewed as right wing parties, ie, conservative. The Republican party is viewed right wing,and in certain current areas of policy extremely so . the Democrats whilst still right wing are, by and large seen as a party that is aware of the dangers of unbridled capitalism, examples of which are the industrial /military complex and latterly the conduct of the latest world wide banking crisis . The damage the American banks have inflicted upon the worlds economies ,even now, does not appear to have curbed the greed of your bankers,who like your medical /insurance companies and the medical profession appear to be impervious to any threat to their hold on to societies needs.This is, if may be as bold to say, a perfect example of the dogma ,greed is good. I say this with a heavy heart and as a lifelong friend and admirer of a nation that has supported us in the past and shed American blood on our behalf when the chips were down . The route you are currently treading will exact a very heavy price on your nation.