Some Progressives in the Democratic Party appear to have declared war on Moderates within their own party. While there are numerous examples from several sources, here’s a representative soundbite from the second debate:
We’re not going to solve the urgent problems that we face with small ideas and spinelessness. We’re going to solve them by being the Democratic Party of big, structural change.
– Elizabeth Warren, July 31, 2019
I genuinely like Warren. I disagree with several of her ideas but there’s no question that she’s whip-smart. I most certainly respect the passion that she and her Progressive compatriots bring to the party. To be sure, many progressive goals are undeniably admirable. I’d love to provide free healthcare for everyone. I’d love to make a free college education available to every American citizen. I’d love to offer free childcare to anyone who wants it. I’d love to see automatic weapons used only by soldiers in war zones. I’d love to eliminate all carbon emissions overnight.
I’d also love to be starring in a new Sondheim/Sorkin musical on Broadway after winning a huge lottery payout while dating Emma Stone.
News Flash: Life ain’t a Disney cartoon. The real world manifests no response whatsoever to wishes made upon a self-luminous spheroid of thermonuclear plasma.
Months ago, I suggested that the Progressive Agenda was a path to failure in 2020 and I haven’t changed my mind. In retrospect, however, I don’t think I sufficiently made an argument for the moderate alternative.
To be clear: Being a moderate is not a capitulation to anything.
While I personally place myself a little left of the political center, my reasons do not include the lack of a spine to move further to my left. My positions on the numerous issues confronting our country are the result of careful thought and considerable research. They acknowledge that we somehow need to pay for all the things that we want. They reflect an acceptance of economic, political, and social realities. They take into account that there are other smart and patriotic citizens of this country who are good people despite having vastly different opinions than mine.
Are there flaws in my positions? Of course there are. Everything needs to be seriously debated by sane, intelligent people with opposing viewpoints. As a nation, we will seldom agree on the “perfect” solution to anything. I sincerely believe, however, that we can often agree on a “decent” solution. While few would likely be ecstatic with the final outcomes, I’m convinced that solutions exist for most problems that the vast majority of people can accept. It’s called compromise. It is neither a dirty word nor a “small idea”.
I remain absolutely convinced that the Democratic path to Electoral victory in 2020 is via a moderate platform. I am equally convinced that it is the right platform.