Today three prominent articles on Centrism.
Can the GOP Find Its Center? By E. J. Dionne Jr.
“Pro-market libertarians and pro-family social conservatives are more aware than ever that their respective values and interests do not coincide.”
“>GOP must return to its centrist roots By Governor Christine Todd Whitman
“President Bush has to lead the Republican Party back toward its traditional, philosophical roots of respect for and belief in the individual, fiscal responsibility, pragmatic and realistic foreign policy, and real environmental stewardship.”
“>The Center of What? by David Sirota
“That’s really the problem with the term – and with Washington’s definition of it. “Centrismâ€? as defined in the political dialogue today means “being at in the middle of elite opinion in Washington, D.C.â€? But if you plot this “centerâ€? on the continuum that is American public opinion, you will find that it is nowhere near the actual center of the country at large. The center of elite Washington opinion is ardently free trade, against national health care, opposed to market regulation, for continuing the Iraq War, and supportive of the flattest tax structure we’ve had in contemporary American history. That center is on the extreme fringe of the center of American public opinion, which is ardently skeptical of free trade, for universal health care, supportive of strong market regulations, insistent that the war end soon, and in favor of making the tax system more progressive.”
What I mean by “Centrist” is using market forces as much as possible to promote opportunity and fairness. If market forces are ineffective then I support regulation. For instance:
Fair trade that liberates globalization while providing a sufficient safety net for American workers: Health Care, Education, Retirement security…
Barney Frank’s ideas of a grand bargain to reduce regulation in exchange for increased wages and benfits.
Expanding health care by reducing obstacles to competition and efficiency, and some government involvement to adjust risks. For instance I like the proposal for the government to indeminify the insurance companies for catastrophic costs in exchange for making basic care universally available.
An economic emphasis to foreign affairs that maximizes dialogue, market forces, rules of law and, inevitablity, civil liberties.
A simplifed tax system that eliminates most of the favors to specific industries.
I am not married to any of these specific remedies. But I do believe that the solutions in the Center are characterized by a reconciliation of the Democratic aims of nurturing society with the Conservative methods of nurturing market forces.
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.