After the Midterms: Democrats Move to the Center, and Republicans Don’t | Robert Reich

[nashville_brook]

http://robertreich.org/post/1398873669

After the Midterms: Why Democrats Move to the Center, and Republicans Don’t

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2010



If Republicans succeed in taking over the House and come even close to gaining a majority in the Senate, expect calls for the President to “move to the center.” These will come not only from Republicans but also from conservative Democrats, other prominent Dems who have been defeated, Fox Republican News, mainstream pundits, and White House political advisers.

After the 1994 midterm, when Dems lost the House and Senate, Bill Clinton was told to “move to the center.” He obliged by hiring the pollster Dick Morris, declaring the “era of big government is over,” abandoning much of his original agenda, and making the 1996 general election about nothing more than V-chips in televisions and school uniforms.

It happened in the 1978 midterm when Dems lost ground and Jimmy Carter was instructed to “move to the center.” He obliged by firing his entire cabinet, apologizing for the errors of his ways, and making the 2000 general election about absolutely nothing.

Oddly, though, after Republicans suffer losses in the first midterms they pay no attention to voices telling them to move to the center. If anything, Ronald Reagan and the two Bushes moved further right.

Could it be that Republican presidents understand a few things Democrats don’t?

(snip)

Why are Democratic presidents so much more easily intimidated by the “move to the center” rhetoric after midterm losses than Republican presidents?

Because Democrats think in terms of programs, policies, and particular pieces of legislation. It’s easy to reverse course by compromising more and giving up on legislative goals. Bill Clinton never mentioned the words “health care reform” after the 2004 midterms.

(snip)

Message to Obama: Whatever happens November 2, don’t move to the center. Push even harder for what you believe in. Message to Democrats: Whatever happens, keep the courage of your conviction and get even more active.

[Autumn]

1. My message is this, I will be watching to see where they

move to, because THAT will determine where I move to in 2012.

[OHdem10]

2. MSNBC: Andrea Mitchell Show. McConnell say the GOAL

of the Republicans will be to make Obama a one term
President.

They have no plans for the country. Getting Obama out
of office and their winning in 2012 is their goal.

[nashville_brook]

6. and, if this party moves any farther right, they're going to be irrelevant/repugnant to Dems.

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. Well, that's just the way it is. The response to any election, no matter

who wins, is to move to the right.

I, for one, would be happy to see a move to the center - from where we are today, that would be moving left.

[nashville_brook]

5. actually -- it doesn't work that way in reverse. GOP doesn't move left.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. I think that's what I said - if we win, we move to the right. If we lose, we

move to the right. If the GOP wins, we move to the right. If the GOP loses, we move to the right.

Kind of like NASCAR - every turn is to the right.

[nashville_brook]

9. right -- the ratchet effect. sorry (i need caffeine, or something today).

[Dr.Phool]

25. I'm pulling out my lemonade and jumping in the pool.

This is miracle producing lemonade. It cures depression. It picks you up, and knocks you right back down.


I can of frozen lemonade.
It calls for four cans of water. Substitute 2 cans of water with 2 cans vodka.

Good night!

[nashville_brook]

28. oh! that sounds lovely!!

both the pool and the lemonade and the vodka!

:evilgrin:

[Greyhound]

15. Except that NASCAR is an interminable series of left turns.

:kick:

[glitch]

30. Agreed, a move to the center would require a LEFT turn.

Rather than incrementally less right turns.

[Individualist]

4. Democrats would have to move left to get to the center,

but DLC will never let that happen. We'll see a move even farther to the right.

[bobbolink]

7. Exactly right. But many of us have given up even saying that.

It doesn't do any good to point out the obvious.

They are determined to be to the right of Nixon, Eisenhower, etc., so not much that can be done.

We just get called names for wanting anything different.

We got our conservadem pony.

Whoooopeee.

[nashville_brook]

10. your very rational, logical, sensible pony...that doesn't seem to be able to do squat.

[bobbolink]

13. Huh? What the fuck are you bashing me for now?

:wtf:

First I'm called an illogical dreamer and an idiot, a fucking retard, insane and childish.

Now I'm too rational, logical and sensible to do anything.

Could you all please get your insults coordinated? :crazy:

[nashville_brook]

16. "your" and in "theirs" -- :) -- the conservadem pony, that needs to be put out of his misery.

[bobbolink]

17. Yeah, I'm bashed because I am an unabashed RADICAL, but you want to paint me

as a fucking conservative.

Go bark up a tree you know something about.

Because you sure don't have a clue about me, and I am sick to death of getting it from all sides.

THAT is why the party is disintegrating.

[nashville_brook]

18. PUBLIC APOLOGY -->> my intent was to skewer the conservadems. sorry it was misunderstood.

sorry to have caused you any distress. just sorry.

are we okay, here?

[kenny blankenship]

11. It would be more accurate to say Democrats move toward Republicans after midterms, & away from base,

crossing whatever small sliver of daylight could be previously seen -or inferred to exist- in between the 2 parties. But Repukes do not move towards Democrats. They actually move further right, with both parties' in tandem moving "the center" further out past Reagan, and off into the land of the Cyclops.

But that doesn't fit on a headline. So one says Democrats move towards "the center".

[nashville_brook]

14. they've got a big jump on the rush, since they've moved away from the base since 6 mos in.

[rhett o rick]

12. Democrats move right, so do Republicans. nm

[Proud Liberal Dem]

19. Reich's dates are wrong

or was it intentional and I am missing something?

:wtf:

Otherwise, good article.

[nashville_brook]

20. whoa -- good catch! must be some kind of cognitive hiccup.

[countrydad58]

21. I noticed that too.

But he was "right" on other than moving to center,they have been miles right from there for years, This is my prediction too. Farther rightward shift to the detriment of 98% of the population.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

23. Hopefully- if Republicans win big in November

Obama doesn't act all "contrite" and move to the right like Clinton had to in order to survive politically after the 1994 midterms, however something tells me he won't. He won't be able to push anything massive but I don't see him as caving in like Clinton did, probably because the political landscape has changed since 1994 and there is more chance of an eventual rebound for the Democrats in 2012 than there might have been in 1996. :shrug:

The Republicans really have any easy gig to follow. When THEY take power, they enact harsh right-wing policies that harm people and enrich their base and when they lose (largely in reaction to their extreme policies), instead of re-evaluating themselves and/or moving back towards the center, they blame themselves for not being "conservative enough", obstruct any and all attempts of the Democrats to repair the damage that their policies caused when they were in power, and then double-down on the extremism the next time they manage to win (which is usually when they manage to turn the "independents" against the Democrats when they haven't managed to fix all of their f**k-ups within an arbitrarily short period of time) and on and on and on................:eyes: :banghead:

The best thing that we can hope for if the Republicans win big in November is for the Republican Tea Party to simply tear itself apart during the next two years and enable the Democrats to win everything back in 2012.

[treestar]

22. Republicans understand something that Democratic ones also understand

The voters are dumbed down and the right wing owns the M$M. Now that ignorance is something to be proud of, it wins.

[Dr.Phool]

24. He obliged by hiring the pollster Dick Morris

We have only one choice! Hire Karl Rove.

If they move any further to the "center", they'll fall off the side of the flat earth.

[nashville_brook]

27. can you imagine Obama adding Frank Luntz to his team? nasty.

[leeroysphitz]

29. Who do you think came up with "The Affordable Care Act"? n/t

[JustAnotherGen]

26. I think President Obama

Should do whatever Bush did in 2006 . . . i.e. Cower Boehner into saying, "Impeachment is off the table." C'mooooooooon guys - there's gotta gotta gotta gotta be a way to get Boehner to do that.

Anyone know how Bush got Pelosi to say and commit to that?

[nashville_brook]

34. it didn't have anything to do with anthrax, did it?

i'm just sayin'.

[FLAprogressive]

31. Obama's already at the center.

[Vinca]

33. Exactly. I'm stunned every time I hear a Repuke make a comment

like "he's the most far left president we've ever had."

[countrydad58]

35. A few steps or so east of there (right)

[ibegurpard]

36. He's PAST the center

[Smashcut]

32. This is what the "action liberals" give us. nt