The Myth of the Democrat Centrist

Which Way to Win?

By David Ignatius
Wednesday, October 18, 2006; Page A21

As we head toward Election Day 2006, political analysts are focusing on a few dozen tossup races that will determine whether the Democrats take the House and Senate. But there's a larger, overarching battle this year between two visions of America: testing whether it's a country defined by its political center or one defined by its political extremes.

This assessment of America's meta-politics is distilled in "The Way to Win," a new book by two of the media's best political observers, Mark Halperin of ABC News and John F. Harris of The Post. They see two basic strategic ideas at work in today's politics: the "synthesizer" approach of former president Bill Clinton, and the "clarifier" tactics of President Bush and his political guru, Karl Rove. Here's the way Halperin and Harris describe the two styles:

"Clinton Politics is the politics of the center. It holds that Americans for the most part, with the exception of irate groups at the edges, are less interested in ideology than in practical solutions to basic problems. People would prefer politics to be polite, civil, and compromise-minded."

"Bush Politics is the politics of the base," the authors continue. "A successful leader will stand forthrightly on one side of a grand argument. Then he or she will win that argument by sharpening the differences and rallying his most intense supporters to his side."

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David Ignatius succeeds in writing one of the most unintentionally funny editorials I have read in quite some time.

The very concept as a Clinton, whether it be Bill or Hillary as a centrist is as chock full of holes as the Beatles Albert Hall. Bill Clinton was no "centrist" he was an extrordinarily successful con-man. As befits a sociopath of Clinton's stature, he had absolutely no moral compass whatsoever. For that reason he felt no compunction in saying any lie he felt would further his cause. That cause being a wealthy and powerful Bill Clinton.

His core beliefs, if he has any at all, are as a full blown Stalinist, with him at the head of the "polit-bureau" and suffering no criticism or opposition. Anyone who believes that the Clintons are anything other than extreme egoists is in abject denial. Clinton resolutely waited until the political wind vane told him in which direction to jump before he moved a muscle. However, the underlying philosophy has always been socialism.

Mr. Ignatius misses the "Old Media" days because in those days the left had an absolute monopoly on what was broadcast. For Ignatius and his ilk a Centrist is someone like Chuck Schumer, or Dick Durban; a Liberal, someone like Congressman Jim McDermott might barely qualify; and a Conservative, George Bush. True Conservative such as Jon Kyl or John Cornyn is, to the "Old Media" a "right-wing extremist."

Jim Talent may be correct in saying that:

Most people don't care if you're Red or Blue, Republican or Democrat"

but they do care the policies which those politicians espouse. The problem lies in getting the Democrats to espouse anything other than scandal. The problem lies in getting Democrats to fess up to their true beliefs. If the "Old Media" had been doing their jobs instead of pimping for the Democrats, the voters of America would know just how far to the Left the Democrat "mainstream" is.

Full Story: Truth Will Out? I Wonder.

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