On all 3 of these key issues, I submit that a bona fide centrist message, platform and yes candidate can deliver. What is a centrist candidate you ask? It may be easier to define what he or she is likely not. Centrist candidates are most probably not "behind the beltway", Eastern prep schoolers with liberal voting records and elitist life-styles. Or perhaps more to the point, they should not be someone easily labeled, even defined as such by the opposition. Whether or not John Kerry is the former, he sadly became the latter by election day. The rest is now history.
What then are valid centrist credentials? How about, say, a governor from a red state? And while were at it, perhaps one that has the gift of crafting a vision that speaks to folks across a broad political and ethnic spectrum from left to center right. And for good measure, add a dollop of moxey, like embracing at least some positions that dare to break out of the traditional party mold. Postions like reforming welfare or a balanced budget. Sound familiar?
Bill Clinton won red states. He also won significant numbers of evangelicals and a majority of moderates all while holding the support of the Dem base. Bill Clinton got it. The Democratic Party needs to re-get it. Here's to learning to use what works.
Cheers
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