If we keep eating our own, others will eat our lunch.

[MineralMan]

That's my opinion, anyhow. You and I may agree on twenty things and disagree on one thing. That one thing may be very important to me. That one thing may be very important to you. If you reject me or I reject you for that difference of opinion and declare that we cannot cooperate to achieve what we agree about, we will not be able to form a consensus on much. Without consensus, we will not have enough people to accomplish great things.

This nation of 300+ million ends up being governed by enormous coalitions of people with diverse positions on many subjects. Because we elect our leaders in a more or less democratic method, those coalitions end up controlling government.

Those who cannot form coalitions with others cannot rule. This is why third parties fail. This is why neither the far right or far left end up with a great deal of power in politics. This is why centrism ends up being the uniform of the day in our elections. This is why we elect Republicans sometimes and Democrats other times.

On what do you and I disagree? Do you know? Do you care? On what do we agree? If we agree on more than we disagree, perhaps we might be able to form a coalition. But we may have to disagree politely on some things. If we cannot, there will be no coalition. Does disagreement on one issue mean that we cannot be part of the same coalition?

[Vattel]

1. I don't get this:

"This is why neither the far right or far left end up with a great deal of power in politics." The far left and the far right are often parts of coalitions and so they do have as much power as most groups of comparable size. The real problem is that the wealthy and the media have power disproportionately far greater than their size.

[MineralMan]

2. I suggest thinking about it longer.

Many people at the edges try to make their point of view the coalition's point of view and, when they fail to do so, often work to undermine the coalition itself.

Look at the Tea Party.

[Bluenorthwest]

4. I would say people in the center can and do the exact same thing.

Trying to persuade a coalition to support your point of view is what everyone in politics does. Everyone. Those who behave destructively when they fail to do so are people who are making a choice and they come from all places on the political spectrum. It was not liberals who marched off and voted for fucking Ronald Reagan and called themselves 'Reagan Democrats'. Nothing says 'undermine the Party' like voting for the opposition. So many did that. Know any? I can name some among current Democratic 'leadership' who did so.
On the other hand ideas that are 'at the edges' do often become the ideas of the majority coalition, providing forward momentum and a renewal of ideas.
I mean, I remember when marriage equality was a position held 'by people on the edges' only. Hotly resisted by the Center and the Right.
It's politics. And you can look at the Tea Party if you want. I'll look at the constant progress my communities have made in spite of fearful centrists and hateful conservatives. This country is moving to the left, get used to it and don't mistake the weather for the climate.

[Andy823]

5. Exactly

When your only agenda is "my way or the highway" you don't get things accomplished. The tea party has that train of thought, and look how bad they have made things by refusing to compromise. People have to find common ground, as you said, and if people share a majority of views, then they should not let a few disagreements divide them. We can't keep going backwards, we need to go forward even if it's only a few steps forward we progress ahead instead of going backward time after time.

[MineralMan]

8. Thank you.

[MineralMan]

3. I wrote this at the end of my afternoon time on DU.

I must leave the keyboard for a while, but will return later in the evening. So, if I don't reply immediately, that is the explanation.

[Aerows]

6. And if we don't hold our own accountable

our "own" become our enemies.

[MineralMan]

7. And who do you consider your own?

Nobody is elected only by one faction of Democrats. It takes all Democrats to elect anyone. Who is the group to hold a candidate accountable? Why not a different faction? It is always a coalition who elects people to office.