David Sirota's new piece "Debunking Centrism" reminds me of what I wrote way back on November 12:
"I don't like the prospect of the Democrats morphing into Republicrats, like Joe Lieberman. Or Simon Rosenberg of the New Democrat Network, who actually said the other day on C-SPAN that he was in favor of partially privatizing Social Security. If the Democrats won't even defend the pillar of the New Deal, I can't imagine them taking a principled stand on any issue of importance."
Sirota juxataposes the "centrist" policies from the likes of the Democratic Leadership Council with actual data, as in public polling data. For example:
"Let’s start with economic policy. The DLC and the press claim Democrats who attack President Bush and the Republicans for siding with the superwealthy are waging 'class warfare,' which they claim will hurt Democrats at the ballot box. Yet almost every major poll shows Americans already essentially believe Republicans are waging a class war on behalf of the rich—they are simply waiting for a national party to give voice to the issue. In March 2004, for example, a Washington Post poll found a whopping 67 percent of Americans believe the Bush Administration favors large corporations over the middle class."
The same is true of tax policy:
"Yet a September 2004 CBS News poll found that 72 percent of Americans say they have either not been affected by the Bush tax cuts or that their taxes have actually gone up."
And health care:
"On healthcare, we are led to believe that it is a 'liberal,' 'left' or 'socialist' position to support a single-payer system that would provide universal coverage to all Americans. But if you believe the Washington Post, that would mean America was some sort of hippie commune. The newspaper’s 2003 national poll found that almost two-thirds of Americans say they prefer a universal healthcare system 'that’s run by the government and financed by taxpayers' as opposed to the current private, for-profit system."
And polls show overwhelming support for the environment, for a woman's right to choose, and for gay and lesbian civil unions.
So, the question remains: What direction will the Democratic Party take? Will it lurch reflexively to the right? Or will it return to the populist, and progressive, center, where apparently most Americans reside?
I guess we'll find out when the party announces its choice for Democratic National Committee chair.
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