centrism as a political philosophy and political postion
I’ve written about centrism before, here, here, here and here. There are two kinds of centrism: Lagging centrism is a political position comparable to a lagging indicator in economics. This position is characterized by going with the direction of the political winds of the day but lagging behind as if hedging one’s bets or being […]
Although I’m a centrist, not a conservative, I desire to see the political factions balanced in order to have a balanced politics. But for some time the political left has had excessive influence: they dominate the media (both mass and elite), education, the arts and sciences, professional associations, NGOs, the judicial branch, and in many
I’ve written on my understanding of centrism here and here. The essence of centrism is an acceptance of a limit for everything. This means there are limits in all directions. The image of this is a closed convex curve with a center in the middle of the region enclosed. Without limits, there is no center.
When the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1789, it established a federation of the independent states called the United States of America. But over time the national government has expanded and overshadowed the states. The Seventeenth Amendment changed Senate elections to a direct ballot, which took state governments out of the loop of federal decision-making. The development
You don’t have to spend much time with a talkative progressive (aka liberal) to hear stories about the shortcomings of the private sector. Similarly, you don’t have to spend much time with a talkative conservative to hear stories about the shortcomings of the public sector. But the people in the private and public sectors are
The Centrist Project proposes to break the gridlock in Washington by electing five independent Senators. It’s an appealing strategy. But their Centrist Principles show a moderate go with the flow attitude that eschews “ideology” for trendy politics. For example, under Environmental responsibility it reads: “I will act as a steward of the environment for future generations.
In my usage, centrism is distinguished from moderation as follows: The moderate seeks the relative middle so if the winds blow in one direction, the moderate moves in that direction to a moderate degree. In contrast the centrist stakes out a position in the long-term middle so if the winds blow in one direction, the centrist
