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YoungDemCA

(5,714 posts) Sun Apr 7, 2013, 04:49 PM Apr 2013

What caused the shift of America's political "center"? [View all]

During the decades of the mid-20th century, you had Communists and socialists on the Left, conservatives and reactionaries on the Right, and liberals occupying, basically, the mainstream "Center" between those two extremes.

In recent decades, however, the liberals in the Democratic Party have moved to the Right (even though they supposedly are the Left) and the Republican conservatives have moved into batshit territory. For all the Right's fear of Communism or socialism, there are no socialists left in American politics (unless you consider Bernie Sanders a socialist, which I suppose he is by today's political standards), and Communism is an increasingly distant Cold War memory.

What explains this difference? Why has the whole political spectrum moved so far to the Right?

20 replies

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Highlight:

What caused the shift of America's political "center"? [View all] YoungDemCA Apr 2013 OP

Money. rrneck Apr 2013 #1

Plus 30 years of St. RayGun's policies enacted by the SCOTUS as well as ALEC Vincardog Apr 2013 #12

Follow The Money n/t fredamae Apr 2013 #2

..into the pockets of the wealthy... YoungDemCA Apr 2013 #3

I will affirm that is fredamae Apr 2013 #5

A corrupted news media designed to propagandize the interests of the Ownership Class Octafish Apr 2013 #4

that's my vote also. Even NPR has a noticeable right wing slant these days rurallib Apr 2013 #13

Yep. And sites like Alternet and Commondreams are so full of shit... it's not even funny. nt Comrade_McKenzie Apr 2013 #14

Money which buys the politicians, MSM, and elections: the result is the people are indepat Apr 2013 #6

Money. It's not just the US. Canada and Europe also. nt octoberlib Apr 2013 #7

Are you familiar with ALEC? magellan Apr 2013 #8

Money, yes, but particularly the turn toward corporate money HereSince1628 Apr 2013 #9

GWB's base... YvonneCa Apr 2013 #10

Media consolidation, corporate propaganda, televangelists, and cowardice? limpyhobbler Apr 2013 #11

the collapse of the industrial base thus causing the collapse of the political power of the unions Douglas Carpenter Apr 2013 #15

Money, propoganda, globalization, religion, and institutionalized state and corporate crime. PufPuf23 Apr 2013 #16

+1 Dawson Leery Apr 2013 #17

+ Reagan Democrats, DLC Republicrats, Newt, Tom Delay, moondust Apr 2013 #20

The right is evil and evil always finds its way into our lives. LeftInTX Apr 2013 #18

I don't routinely look for one cause for anything in society. randome Apr 2013 #19