Centrists...some clarity

[Blue_Roses]

needed here. I've been a Democrat all my life, voted in the my first election for Dukakis, been active as a pro-choice counselor, have taught in public schools, but yet I have no idea what is the TRUE explanation of a centrist, that is, other than the dictionary.

To me, I've always been just a Democrat--no more, no less. It wasn't until heard Hillary Clinton speak of the "right wing conspiracy" with Matt on NBC's "Today Show," that I first heard of them.

I think it is because it is becoming more defined--which is a good thing, especially in the south where a Democrat label is usually considered to be a "liberal." Personally, I like the term "progressive" because I think that bests fits the Democrats. We want to continually "progress" and if we want to be a "liberal" or "centrist" in the process then that's okay too, cause we are Dems and we our umbrella is huge and seats many!

Now with that said...explain in detail a centrist and how they appear to the left and right.

[alexwcovington]

1. In these days of extremes of left and right

a centrist is anyone willing to compromise...


Though traditionally, I suppose, a centrist is a person who supports ideas from territory belonging to both sides... though they can be left or right leaning.

[WatchWhatISay]

2. Liberal and progressive are always going to be devisive

I think it will be a lot easier to realize that they are really on our side if we approach it as a corporate rights vs. citizens rights approach.

[w13rd0]

3. Corporations are legal fictions...

...I am. A corporation is not. End of the story as it should be. Corporations are legal fictions to entertain a notion of the immortality of wealth and power.

[Julien Sorel]

4. For starters, a centrist is someone who finds

words like these ... nonsense.

Centrists try to approach things with common sense, not from the standpoint of an idealogue. I see corporations as having both good and bad sides, like everything else; the idea that corporations are inherently evil is silly to me, and most other centrists I know.

I try to view each issue on its merits and demerits, not through some prism of ideology. So I end up with some right-wing viewpoints, and some left -- a fairly even mix, as it turns out. For example, one of the reasons I decided against a career in academia was because I despised the knee-jerk leftism that was dominant then -- I was too right-wing compared to most of my colleagues, and found their extremism childish and tiring. In the 'corporate' world, I'm left-of-center though, (curiously, I find the private sector tolerant about politics, whereas in academia having the wrong politics could break careers), so I figure I'm pretty much in the center.

I am in favor of a market economy. I am in favor of as little government regulation as we can get away with. I am also in favor of just about every social freedom you can imagine: legalizing drugs, same-sex marriage, civil rights, AA, and so on. I also dislike America's foreign policy as it is too-frequently practiced. I think lots of centrists are some place near where I am, although I tend a little bit more towards libertarianism than most, and am much more critical of American foreign policy. But those are the tenets of a centrist, I think: pro-market, pro-civil rights, and understanding the need for thoughtful and restrained regulation.

[Blue_Roses]

6. thanks for the

explanation. I find living in the south I am thrown into a category without a clear definition, however, I am VERY clear on what I stand for personally. Thanks for some clarity.

[Wonk]

5. A little bit pregnant.

[RowWellandLive]

7. As a centrist

I define myself as such because I side with Dems on some issues and Repubs on others. I vote Democratic becuse those issues we agree on I consider the most impostant to me. I hate when I am considered a compromiser or the "mushy middle." My views on issues are as deeply held and strong as anyones. They just happen to run across the political gamut and do not conform to one party's views.