In anticipation of the Centrist meeting in Oklahoma this weekend Mort Kondracke offers up an agenda in Moderate Graybeards Need a Top 10 Agenda. Here’s One
This is a domestic policy list. The graybeards might also want to recommend a new American foreign policy that would include a bigger active-duty military trained for “nation building” and counter-insurgency, much-improved intelligence and expanded foreign aid and free trade, plus forceful — but sometimes coercive — diplomacy.
Besides a policy agenda, the most useful immediate product from Oklahoma would be a joint declaration of “Enough, Already!” about the excessive polarization of American politics — the poison that makes it impossible for Republicans and Democrats to agree on fixes for any of America’s big problems.
It’ll be unfortunate if no one runs for president on a platform of centrist, grand-bargain solutions to America’s problems. If so, the graybeards need to speak loudly, form alliances and rally a public that is fed up with polarized gridlock.
It seems to me that at the top of the wish list should be reforms to increase the likelihood that moderate, pragmatic, collaborative centrists can get elected through reform of campaign finance and redistricting. It would be inspiring to see the Graybeards hook up with the DLC, RLC and the Bipartisan Policy Center to promote this kind of Centrist agenda.
Born 1950, Married, Living in Austin Texas, Semi
Retired Small Business owner and investor. My political interest
evolved out of his business experience that the best decisions come out of an objective gathering of information and a pragmatic consideration of costs and benefits. I am interested in promoting Centrist candidates and Policies. My posts are mostly about people and policies that I believe are part of the solution rather the problem.