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ONCE A LIBERAL,
NOT ALWAYS A LIBERAL |
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I've always been a fan of moderation. I've always thought of
it as a virtue, and tried to teach my children that moderation is a key to
leading a happy, healthy life.
Whether it's drinking alcohol, eating chocolate truffles, running
marathons, working late or taking ibuprofen, it's wise to never
over-indulge. Veer towards the center whenever possible, and let
moderation steer your course.
It's too bad so few people are following that path when it
comes to politics.
I've been thinking about this ever since I listened to Bernie
Sanders' speech announcing his candidacy for President. In the midst of
outlining his policies, many of which I agree with, he said the following:
"Our President is a pathological liar, a fraud, a
racist, a sexist, a xenophobe and someone who is undermining American
democracy as he leads us in an authoritarian direction."
It doesn't matter whether you believe those charges or not.
It was his follow-up to that rant that struck me as nonsensical.
"I am running for President," Sanders continued,
"because we need leadership that brings us together, not divides us
up."
Really? He follows up a vicious rant that will obviously
alienate millions and millions of the country's voters with a plea for
unity?
He does indeed want unity, but only from his liberal base. In
that sense, he is not unlike Donald Trump---he's preaching to the choir,
and that's not what this country needs right now.
We need moderation. We don't need a candidate who rails about
the free press being the enemy of the people, like Trump does, and we
don't need a candidate who rails about the wealthy being the enemy of the
people, like Sanders basically does (without using those exact words).
Here's the problem--moderates are a dying breed. While
the key to American presidential politics is winning the center, the key
to winning the Democratic nomination is winning the liberal base.
In 1994, Democrats who considered themselves
"liberal" amounted to 25% of eligible voters. According to the
latest Gallup poll, it's now 51%, up from 48% in 2016. This is Sanders'
base, and if he's successful in securing 95% of the delegates in that 51%
base (as he did in 2016, garnering a delegate total of 45.6% from the 48%
designated "liberals"), it would be virtually impossible for a
moderate candidate to beat him.
To me, that's very scary. I've always considered myself a
liberal, but not anymore. I'm re-defining myself as a moderate. I don't
want to see a Bernie Sanders/Donald Trump matchup for the simple reason
that no matter who won, the result would outrage half the nation. And
we've been through that scenario too many times.
While I probably wouldn't have voted for either, I could have
accepted moderates like John Kasich or Jeb Bush as the Republican nominee
in 2016. Instead, we got Donald Trump, because he played to and won the
far-right base. We'll get him again in 2020, and I'm beginning to believe
Democrats will lose again in the general election unless they capture the
center.
The only chance for a moderate Democrat to win the nomination
is for several candidates to split the left's vote. But I've read that the
pundits think that is unlikely, that before a moderate candidate can
secure enough delegates, the left will coalesce around a single candidate.
To combat this, moderates need to make a comeback. It's too
late for Republican moderates, who will be saddled with Donald Trump as
their nominee, but Democrats still have a chance to come up with someone
who can win the general election and at least have a chance of unifying
our country.
It will take sacrifices and compromises. Many of the liberal
ideas and policies that I champion, like Medicare for All, may have to
take a backseat for awhile. I'll take solace in knowing we're heading in
the right direction, with more and more people embracing the concept. But
the time may not be right.
I'm drifting to the center, and my hope is that more and more
voters, from both sides, will join me. At this point, I have no idea which
Democratic candidate will get my vote, but I do know it will be a woman or
man that at least has a chance of reducing the polarization that has
strangled our country for far too long. |
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