Why "the middle" is a poisoned frame

[Fovea]

While it is attractive and inclusive to phrase the reconstruction of American politics as a return to 'the center' or 'the middle' it is not good for progressives or even moderates to do so at thecurrent time.

Ownership of the Frame:

The republican party has owned not only the executive branches power to define the narrative and the terms of the narrative. It has also owned the 'liberal' media and treated them to both frontal assault and back office ownership. It has bent these twin powers to the task of owning the following terms.
Socialist, Left, Center, Free Market, tax relief, and Conservative.
When we invoke these terms, they are overloaded with the NeoCon connotations.

We not actually wanting the policies that Faux and Rove have defined for the middle of the curve. They have sucessfully shifted the overton window too far to the right.

Counter Frames:

We are better served by saying that our actions are stability motivated by the bush economic crisis and that our progressive policies are based on sound Keynesian economics.
We need to say that we have returned pragmatic progressive policies to America after eight years of absence, *even though we need to radically constrain the privateers of the global economy*.
We need to stress pragmatic progressive policies as the antidote to compassionate conservatism.

Conclusion:
This addresses the key narrative change in American Politics. Decisions based on other priorities than partisan advantage and shrill hackery will be replaced by consensus of a new broad social contract. It will look a bit more like Sweden, but it will be sustainable and based on a non-polarized consensus. It overwrites the left right blue red frame with a green, community centric philosophy of governance.

The middle and the center in that political landscape is now a Wide Stance Party construct, and will be until we entirely invalidate it.
We are now in full FDR mode, ladies and gentlemen. Or if not now, we will be on Jan 20th.