Centrism Is A Corporate Scam. DON'T FALL FOR IT.

[JaneyVee]

Today, the "centrists" try to define centrism as this notion that we must cut taxes for corporations and the rich while reigning in "entitlements" for the middle class and poor. Centrists will tell us this is the "reasonable approach". These are corporate stooges who put on $2000 suits, go on tv, and try to redefine their version of the center as "reasonable" and rebrand trickle down economics to distract from the fact that it has failed us for the past 30 years. They try to convince the viewer or listener or reader that they are being completely reasonable and non-ideological and just want what's best for our country.

And it's all bullshit. It's a corporate scam. There are no centrists. Centrists are politically unaware, socially unaware, and economically unaware. The fact is, at this point in US history, we are two separate countries. You're either FOR continuous economic inequality, social oppression, and political obstruction, or you're AGAINST it. Where the center is defined today isn't centrism, it's conservatism in sheep's clothing. Centrism doesn't exist, it's a corporate scam to put a smiley face on the right wing agenda of continuing to crush the middle class, exploit workers, and reap massive profits.

[Laelth]

1. Hear, hear! k&r n/t

-Laelth

[99Forever]

2. Exactly! Huge K&R.

[billhicks76]

80. I Agree

Especially egregious when they keep moving the center to the right. This is why I hope for a robust democratic primary where Clinton loses and a progressive rises up.

[LuvNewcastle]

3. K&R Well said.

[Dreamer Tatum]

4. None of your examples are consistent with centrism.

Fail.

[rhett o rick]

9. It's simple to say "fail", it's harder to provide a counter argument. nm

[Gary 50]

23. None of your examples are consistent with centrism...

Yes. That's the point. The "centrism" the author is talking about is as phony as a three dollar bill. It's a right wing scam, dressing up far right wing beliefs as though they were in the middle of the political spectrum when they are not. From the purveyors of this brand of centrism the real political middle is considered far left.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

47. Exactly. Welcome to DU.

[Enthusiast]

53. Thank you, Gary!

Well said!

[fadedrose]

96. Welcome Gary

Good post

[bluestate10]

54. That is what I figured too after reading the OP.

It totally misses what a Centrist is. That happens when a person that has a particular view tries to describe Centrists, outrageous claims that are unsupportable by facts are made.

[Fumesucker]

85. Which Republican policies do you think are better than the Democratic alternatives? n/t

[Scootaloo]

92. Well, that's because a centrist doesn't ever actually HAVE a position

It's one of the flaws of dedicating your political philosophy to finding the middle ground between good ideas and fucking terrible ideas.

[arthritisR_US]

5. I know this will bring on the flames against me but,

I see centrists and libertarians in the same light. I have no use for either.

[RoccoR5955]

6. BINGO!

I feel the same way.
Though Libertarians are more corporatist than wishy-washy "centrists."

[Zorra]

7. Recommend. nt

[xchrom]

8. they're the most dangerous animal in the political wilderness.

the tea party folks are pikers in comparison.

[rhett o rick]

11. Agree. They will kill us with a thousand cuts.

Pun intended.

[Nye Bevan]

14. So Hillary Clinton is more dangerous than Ted Cruz? (nt)

[RC]

19. Yes. Ted Cruz is a known clown, associated with the shutdown.

Hillary is regarded as a respected "Democrat" with name recognition. However, Hillary is in reality, a well entrenched Right of Center, Hawkish, DLC type, with corporate backing. Hillary is no Liberal. She is past Republican Lite. In better times Hillary would be a little to the Right of main stream Republicanism. But because the apparent Center has been pulled so far to the Right, she can get away with that (D) by her name. If the apparent Center were better alined with the real Center, she could not get away with that and would have a (R) by her name.

[Nye Bevan]

26. All I can say is, if Hillary is the Democratic candidate, DU is going to be..... interesting. (nt)

[Scootaloo]

93. Nah, it'll go smooth if she's the candidate

But during the primaries? Jesus fucking christ, Skinner might as well shut down everything but lolcat lounge threads for seven months... Nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure!

[pangaia]

41. +10

[Enthusiast]

55. I have to agree with your every word.

I wish I could be excited about a Hillary candidacy. We can't just ignore the truth.

[NealK]

81. +1000

[L0oniX]

10. We only have one party ...the corporate party.

[Gary 50]

27. True...

But there are two wings of the Democratic party and the liberal wing is not so enamored with towing the corporate line. Try to find a non-corporatist in the republican party. That would be like finding an antiseptic fly.

[L0oniX]

38. Dems expecting pro union pro living wage progressives to go with the flow are dillusional...

...and this time the big tent psych isn't going to work.

[pangaia]

44. I think there are 2 wings, a body, a leg and a head that are the corporate 'wing',

and one webbed foot that is liberal.

[rhett o rick]

12. Well said. nm

[Romulox]

13. Mandatory for-profit insurance is the ultimate "centrist" corporate scam... nt

[ronnie624]

28. Yup.

When a wingnut calls it socialism, I know, right off the bat, that I'm speaking with an idiot.

[Gary 50]

29. True...

but still a huge improvement over what we had before. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

[harun]

68. Still a few non-profit options, but might not be for long.

[JoeyT]

15. If cutting the throats of the poor and middle class while cutting taxes for the rich is centrist,

what the hopping fuck do fake centrists consider right wing? How can you get further right than that? Slavery? Indentured servitude? Grinding the poor up to feed the middle class so they can keep working?

If someone is dumb enough to try to convince us to split the difference between well intentioned, even if you don't think it will work, and cartoonishly evil*, why would anyone take them seriously? Especially since they usually manage to combine the worst parts of the two systems to make something that doesn't work and has a terrible outcome.

*Limbaugh, Beck, Coulter, Cruz, either Paul. Most of the Republican politicians/personalities and about half of their base. The ones that would cheer if the all the poor, all the LGBT people, all the minorities, and most women were lined up and shot.

[JimDandy]

36. Indentured Servitude... You hit on it.

60,000 KNOWN incidents of indentured servitude in the U.S. last year. This morning on NPR a Philippine woman recounted her story of 2 years of slavery in California.

She was recruited for a job while in the Philippines. The job was caregiver to the elderly in an assisted living facility in Pasadena. It was supposed to be for room and board plus $600/ month (Pretty sucky compensation for even a legit job in CA).

When she arrived at the job site, though, it was a residential boarding house run by a female owner who informed the worker that she now owed the owner $12,000 plus interest for travel costs and the paperwork for her visa. To repay these "debts" the owner kept $300 of the $600, so the worker received only $300/month.

And the room and board was a sham. There was no room. She had to sleep on the floor or in reclining chairs and her clothes and personal effects were stowed in the closets of the elderly roomers. Her "board" was literally leftover bones and scraps from the elderly roomers plates, so her $300 pay went mostly for food to eat. She worked 16 hrs/day with only 2 days off per month.

She was finally rescued when a neighbor noticed that she worked there every day and called the F.B.I. They set up a sting operation that snared the owner and put her behind bars for 5 years. The former indentured servant is now an advocate for others discovered to be in this situation in U.S.

[Enthusiast]

56. Excellent. "cartoonishly evil*"

This comic book style evil villain image serves the plutocrats. By contrast "moderate Republicans from the 1980s" seem downright civilized.

[pangaia]

16. Jeez, what a bunch of bull.

Not you, of course.

How can ANY thinking human being ever think that "..... cut(ting) taxes for corporations and the rich while reigning in "entitlements" for the middle class and poor, " is ..middle of the road?

That is a perfect definition of corporatism !

[gtar100]

24. They never frame the two actions in the same argument.

To us, they are absolutely related because they are the actions of the same group of people - cutting social program funding while at the same time cutting corporate taxes. But not one conservative I have heard has ever talked about the relationship between the two actions. It no doubt helps them sleep at night.

[pangaia]

39. They probably think it is fair because..

hey, we are cutting for everyone. ! DUH!

[Dustlawyer]

17. PUBLICLY FUNDED ELECTIONS!!!!! This is the only way out of the mess that we are in!

[G_j]

20. +1000

completely agree!

[dotymed]

25. Publicly Funded Elections

may prevent the coming revolution.
That would be great.
"They" just shoved citizens United down our throats. Of course if we had real representatives that would have never taken place.

The SCOTUS PROVED they are bought and paid for...at least the majority.

lol...if "they" were for the people the democrats would have never allowed the bush(s) appointments to the SCOTUS
to have been gotten near the "justice system", let alone run it.

Clarence Thomas has never been prosecuted even though any average person would have served time.
The same with the obvious partiality of Scalito.
Obama, Holder, etc.. have proven that they hold these horrendous criminals above the law.

That is just the tip of the centrist iceberg. 'Move along SLAVES, nothing to see here.

WE MUST TAKE AMERICA. OUR CIVILIZATION DEPENDS ON IT.

Bernie Sanders = FDR

[Dustlawyer]

37. Our government has been in control of the Plutocracy for some time. They write the laws, fund

the politicians with regular campaign contributions which they can stop at anytime, select judicial appointments and contribute to judicial elections, own the media to shape public opinion... If we could rise up in massive protests to end the built in corruption in our electoral process, maybe we could exert enough pressure on politicians to vote Publicly Funded Elections (PFE), even if for only self preservation reasons. The Plutocracy would fight us hard, all the way, with their huge amount of resources available; financial, police, politicians, media, and judges.
Unfortunately, Americans have not demonstrated the will to stay informed, which requires time and attention. They are apathetic and brainwashed to a great degree, focused on just trying to survive. OWS focused on the symptoms of the corruption, as well as the corruption itself. With a large number of issues and no real effective leadership, a real opportunity was lost. The ONLY issues should be Publicly Funded Elections and Complete Campaign Finance Reform!
Don't get me wrong, OWS did a lot of good for many areas and raised the awareness of many Americans that they were being screwed. We need a lot more of these people to be successful in getting PFE passed. We need to figure out how to motivate and educate these mass of people who never even vote to get off their Lazy Boy and call, write, and protest in the streets. When reports on the next round of campaign spending and fund raising start to roll in and set new records, I think it would be a good time to raise this issue!

[dotymed]

40. I agree with your assessments.

However I think that maybe we can get something started now.

Maybe (and I know it seems fruitless) we can go ahead and ask MoveOn and Senator Sanders to start a petition for PFE.
At least it could educate some people, garner enough signatures that Obama will look at it and keep our eyes focused on a goal.

Has there already been a PFE petition? Hell, we can start another.

[Dustlawyer]

43. I like your thinking.

[Enthusiast]

58. Me too..........nt

[jazzimov]

18. No, that's not Democratic Centrism, that's Republican

Centrism. Although there are still a few (very few) "moderate" Republicans left, that is what THEY stand for - NOT what Democratic Centrists stand for.

So, although they are both called "moderates", there is still a big difference in basic philosophy between Democratic and Republican Centrists.

I myself am far left - but I am willing to work with anyone on the opposite side who is reasonable and willing to compromise in good faith. Unfortunately, I know of no one like that on the Republican side. Not anymore, anyway.

[Marr]

69. "Centrists" get along with each other-- that's kind of the point.

There is no meaningful gulf between Republican "centrists" and Democratic "centrists", because they're all essentially moderate Republicans.

[AgingAmerican]

21. Centrists call including the problem as part of the solution, "Pragmatism"

I will never understand that.

[gtar100]

22. We get ideas like this because the conservatives invest so heavily in think tanks.

And we get a constant flow of these crappy, misleading ideas because of them as well. What they really want (complete dominance in economic affairs) is so abhorrent, so sinister, so criminal that they have to (they *must*) treat everything like an advertising campaign to make it appear what it's not. Wolves in sheep's clothing indeed!

I would love to see their "releases" published so we could hijack their messages of the day and expose them for the exploitive tripe that they are.

[Veilex]

30. While I totally get what your saying, there is a fundamental flaw to your comment...

The term "centrist" has to be defined. A "centrist" changes definition depending on who you ask and what time frame they base that definition on. If based on today, then yes, there is a very high probability, given our massively distorted political spectrum, a centrist would be heavily pro corporation and anti consumer.

On the other hand; a pre Reagan era (hell, even pre Bush era) centrist would be considered quite reasonable by comparison, and possibly even to the left of the Democratic party.

An all or nothing philosophy is something traditionally ascribed to by politicians (mostly Republicans) who cannot think past the end of their own nose. We have to be better than that. This is not to say embrace today's corporate tainted version of centrism... by all means, we need to fight that BS and shove into the light so it can be exposed for what it is... but at the same time, lets not forget that "centrist" is merely a label some people use to describe themselves, that corporations are attempting to hijack.
It doesn't belong to them, and we cant let them have it!

[TheKentuckian]

34. They can have it, I don't even recall anyone describing themselves as Centrist more than

twenty years ago, no one. Before that folks were moderate. That one I'll try to keep, centrist was always a Trojan horse to kidnap moderate and take it along for a ride with corporatism as far as I can tell.

Fuck the Centrists, damn them to hell.

[Veilex]

35. That corporations would use...

the word "centrist" to acquire moderates to their side is reason enough to not let corporations use the term.
We need to shine a blinding light on them every time they try and paint them as the corporatist shit-bags that they are.

[RitchieRich]

94. Online dating: OkCupid self definition options: L, R, or Centerist

the option of centerist seems to be at least a third of the population. I believe many people use the term to self define as free thinking, not attached blindly to either party, not that they in reality are hard right pro corporate. 90% of these people probably vote for one party.

Perhaps that is off point to the intention of this thread, but is an important point.
It seems to me that to paint everyone Red who self describes in this way would be to alienate a huge % of the Left population.

[Veilex]

99. Exactly!

To ignore those in the middle is folly.
More over, to allow corporations to co-opt the term is very dangerous.

[JimDandy]

31. Spot on JaneyVee! n/t

[Phlem]

32. Absa freakin lutely!!!!!!!

That should be written in stone for all Democrats to see.

-p

[Faryn Balyncd]

33. Economically, "centrism" is far, far more corporatist than Eisenhower.

...and trust-busting Theodore Roosevelt, who dismantled the Northern Securities railroad monopoly, would be considered a communist by today's standards.

When TR broke from the Republican Party, and ran on a Progressive Party platform in 1912 that included this:

Political parties exist to secure responsible government and to execute the will of the people.

From these great tasks both of the old parties have turned aside. Instead of instruments to promote the general welfare, they have become the tools of corrupt interests which use them impartially to serve their selfish purposes. Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people.

To destroy this invisible government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.

The deliberate betrayal of its trust by the Republican party, the fatal incapacity of the Democratic party to deal with the new issues of the new time, have compelled the people to forge a new instrument of government through which to give effect to their will in laws and institutions.


http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/progressive-platform-of-1912/

... he was speaking as a former president who had had the wherewithal to take on and defeat corporate power, even at the cost of antagonizing those in his own party, and one economically far to the left of today's "centrists".

[Jamaal510]

42. I'm a liberal,

but I don't get the moderate/centrist bashing on this site. Threads like these only alienate and turn off people who are most likely to ally with us. When it comes to the voting records of our party's centrists and Blue Dogs, even they (at worst) vote with liberals about 70% of the time. And Pres. O (who many here consider a "centrist&quot has yet to cut any entitlements after 5 years and a handful of Republicans willing to help him, and he actually pushed for top tax hikes (though Republicans aren't willing to let that happen without a fight). He did extend tax cuts for middle-class and poor Americans, but that was actually for people who could use them. People in the top 1-2% don't need any more tax cuts.

Centrists/moderates are not the enemy. Who we SHOULD direct our anger at is rabid RWers in Congress who do nothing but block us if they don't get their way all the time.

[dreamnightwind]

59. The point is that corporations have captured the "center"

What is the non-corporate center? Any idea? It's been extinguished, leaving only corporate tools and low-information zombies occupying the space that used to be occupied by so-called moderates.

The RW that you identify as your enemy is certainly worthy of that status, but they're mostly a straw-man used by the corporate "centrists" of both parties, who provide a "reasonable alternative", "not as bad as that", while the "centrists" shepherd corporate-written legislation through the process of becoming law.

I identify the corporatists as my political enemy, since they are the real force behind the ravages of capitalism in this unregulated global economy. Seems like the right target to me.

[Doctor_J]

78. But they won't "ally with us"

they don't want to raise SS, double the minimum wage, lower the Medicare age, cut off the DoD, rein in the gun nuts, and so on. They ally with the corporations, and always will.

[nomorenomore08]

88. But "rabid RWers" often present themselves as "centrists/moderates."

So it's important to clearly distinguish between the two.

[GoneFishin]

45. K & R. n/t

[zentrum]

46. Driftglass has....

...devoted his considerable writerly talent every week, to this issue of insidious "centrism", especially via David Brooks and the NYT's. Check it out for a real treat. Brilliant graphics too.

http://driftglass.blogspot.com

[bvar22]

48. Sensible, Pragmatic CENTRISM!!!

...because whatever is "In-the-Middle" is
Good Enough for ME!!!

Centrism...because it is so damned EASY!
You don't have to STAND for ANYTHING,
and get to insult those who DO!



"In politics the middle way is none at all."
-President John Adams


[/center]

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

49. Centrists are to liberals/progressives what leeches are to blood flow.

[ReRe]

50. Hear! Hear!

You're damn right, it's bullshit. All "Centrism" is in right field. Doesn't matter if you are a Republicon or a Democrat. The "Center" isn't the center anymore. All "center" is to the right of center today in politics. All politics has moved to the right!

[Uncle Joe]

51. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, JaneyVee.

[Enthusiast]

52. K&R. It's a corporate scam.

That is all.

[AverageJoe90]

57. I'm a progressive and I haven't seen that.....

and neither have most actual (pro-Democratic, at least) centrists for that matter. No, Janey, what you're describing are rightists *masquerading* as centrists so they can try to fool the American public into going along with them; most of the pro-Democratic centrists are working against this as well, just like us progressives.

[bluestate10]

60. Thanks. It's tough to read OPs that beat the shit out of people

that are largely on their side. The OP doesn't seem to have the capacity to distinguish between Democratic leaning Centrists and rightist posing as Centrists. Most of the people replying to the thread didn't seem to have the capacity to distinguish either.

[rhett o rick]

64. You know when its only you that figures it all out, maybe, just maybe its you that's wrong.

There is no such animal as a Democratic leaning centrist. Centrists are all moderate Republicans.

[nomorenomore08]

89. Then maybe the "Democratic leaning Centrists" should lean a little harder, so to speak.

You know, so they're easier to distinguish from the right-wingers.

And I find it strange that you took the OP so personally. What about it did you think applied to you?

[rhett o rick]

65. Explain the difference between the "pro-Democratic" centrist ideology

and the ideology of the left. What does the left support that the so-called left-leaning centrist not support?

[nomorenomore08]

90. I think the difference between progressives and *genuine* moderates is more in tactics than policy.

In which case, the moderates should stop being chickenshits and let the progressives get things done.

Obviously, this doesn't apply to those who were never all that "moderate" to begin with. And the sheer number of such people is a problem in itself.

[47of74]

61. K and R

[colsohlibgal]

62. Big Time

I used to think a centrist was someone who would screw the middle class half as much - but the center keeps drifting right, so that equation is much worse now.

And our congress is a mess and not working for the average citizen. A solid majority of Americans want background checks on guns but is it happening? At this time a growing majority is for personal possession of pot being legal but only a few states have moved on it.

I wonder how we go forward from this, maybe the millenials can gradually save us. I don't know, so may Americans are gullible and not big on critical thinking, easily hoodwinked, I hope that changes.

[closeupready]

63. Centrism is a phoney word, coined by the Third Way.

It means what is sounds like - refusing to negotiate by capitulating to your opposition in advance, i.e., taking the coward's way out of a difference of policy views. K&R

[rhett o rick]

66. Centrists are Moderate Republicans that abandoned their wack-a-doodle party.

They do not share the ideologies of the left.

[me b zola]

67. K&R

[blkmusclmachine]

70. Shhhhhh. Don't tell the White House!

[Mosaic]

71. I for one

Would prefer all our politics were left of center. I'm not one of those beltway democrats who wants to help the other party out in when they are down, all for the sake of having two parties. It's just a game to people like this. To me, politics means life or death to millions, and is not a game for fun laughs and gossip on teevee every day morning, noon, and night. The other party we have now tends towards facism, theocracy, monarchy, and frankly evil. We don't need any of that at all! I've written often we need 2 parties, a Democratic one like we had in the 70's, and a Democratic Socialist one like most Europeans have. Period.

[agent46]

72. I like the way you put it out there

[NorthCarolina]

73. HUGE K&R!!! nt

[daybranch]

74. Are neoliberal democrats

economic centrists? Is Hillary a Progressive or a neoliberal? Does the President fight primarily for social issues and refuse to address the economic inequality? Is he a neoliberal? Just wondering---

Great post by the way.

[stupidicus]

75. Never have and never will. That's why we have the Tea Party

It has never been anything more (at least for the masterminds behind it imo) than an effort to drag the already well of center ideological dividing line in DC farther to the right, so as to make the "centrist" pres look more like a socialist to their redkook minions, and to lower expectations of him on the part of the left due to the contrast between them.

He's not expected to slay Goliath, just keep him from eating lefties whole and alive.

That's why we're being served up in bits and pieces, with his pursuit of things like chained cpi and the TPP in the "politically possible" tent.

Welcome to the barbecue. You can find the cookbook here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Serve_Man

[adirondacker]

83. I need to learn some Kanamit!

[WillyT]

76. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

[4dsc]

77. Then don't fall for Hillary in '16

Because she has centralist written all over her.

[Fearless]

79. Absolutely!

[dchill]

82. K & R.

[blkmusclmachine]

84. I read that Hillary thinks there's not enough "unity" in DC. She is a reason why we're at this bad

place. Out of touch, uncaring, and untrustworthy of being on our side, these so-called "New Democrats" keep chasing the bi-partisan rainbow in hopes of appeasing the unappeasable (the increasingly unhinged GOP). These "Third Way Democrats" always seem to let the GOP set the parameters, goalposts, definitions, and debates. These "Blue Dog Democrats" usually find themselves on the defensive, triangulating their way to the new "center" as defined by the GOP. And we keep electing these same toads of the 1% and expect different results? That's insanity! So that's why we're at this bad place. Phony "Democrats" willingly capitulating to their real constituents, the 1%, who will eventually tire of us.

[DissidentVoice]

86. From another post of mine...

Is being a "centrist..."

Cheerleading for a health care reform plan that does not, and will not, cover everyone?

Being cool with the President caving to Republicans on health care in 1994 and to Max Baucus most recently?

Continuing the heinous USA Patriot Act?

Allowing Guantanamo Bay to remain open?

Pissing off our allies by spying on them, not to mention U.S. citizens who haven't done anything to warrant that?

When I hear "centrist," I hear this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=GSlEI6Bo9l8

I hear the word "triangulation," which sticks in my throat.

I hear and see a bunch of hand-wringing from "Democrats" who are scared to death -

Scared of being thought of as another Mike Dukakis or Walter Mondale.

Scared of being called names by Rush Limbaugh.

If that's "centrist," you can keep it.

[avaistheone1]

87. You're damn tooting right.

K&R

[B Calm]

91. K&R Great Post JaneyVee!!

[Norrin Radd]

95. kr

[On the Road]

97. "Today, the "centrists" try to define centrism as this notion that we must cut taxes...

...for corporations and the rich while reigning in "entitlements" for the middle class and poor."

This is what a centrist would say is his or her philosophy. Really.

[raouldukelives]

98. K&R!

Best way to achieve corporate ends is to invest in them. Every buck helps them kill just a little bit more of what is left of our memories & dreams of America and the worlds future.
Yep, it's a huge scam. Hoisted on us by the Wall St elite. Financed and backed by every investor in the markets. If not in sentiment, in the end, in the only way they care about.