At one time I was a rank and file member of centrism. I completely bought into the triangulation politics that Bill Clinton sold and which he created a political dynasty. I really believed that being in the center on certain "touchy" issues was the most prudent position even if in my heart I was not in the center.
But now...I realize how idiotic and craven that was. I realize that compromising on certain issues doesn't work when the people you are compromising for don't nor have any intention of giving you an inch.
Now, that doesn't mean a sincere moderate position on an issue is not ok. If that is how one truly feels then that is how they feel. However, some issues-those of human decency and human rights- cannot have a moderate position.
For example, racism. Joe Biden's record and history on race has been under scrutiny the last few weeks.
I sincerely don't believe Biden is a racist or even a bigot, but I do believe he has some racial issues. He is the prototypical example of the "white moderate" Dr. Martin Luther King warned about.
Biden knows racism is wrong. He even realizes the very concept is immoral and illogical. Yet, he has a pattern of sympathizing with racists. He refuses to fully acknowledge and call out racism in a significant swath of this country's electorate.
Instead, he chooses to lay the pestilence of racism at Donald Trump's feet. He said the "fever will break" (regarding the Republican Party) once Trump is out of office. He fails to realize or acknowledge that Trump is a symptom and not the cause. And, I believe he does this because if he acknowledges the racism and bigotry he would then have to acknowledge that a section of the electorate he is ambitiously wanting to sway to his corner is racist and the country is more racist than he wants to accept.
And, a staple of centrism is to acquiesce to the fact some issues (such as race) exist but it's "not that bad" or just wait it out because the racists will come around. It's literally the same tact some rightwingers will utilize to strawman arguments about issues like the pervasiveness of racism.
One more thing about Biden is the bussing issue. Biden's stance on bussing is easily obtainable to anyone that would do 10 minutes of research.
I am sure most people are aware of Biden's bragging about working with well-known segregationists on a multitude of issues including bussing back in the 1970s. In fact, he is quite proud of the collaboration he did with them.
Biden's defenders say, "Hey, it was a different time. Besides only 9% of African-Americans approved of bussing and only 5% of the country."
Now, let me take the second sentence first. Yes, only 9% of blacks wanted bussing, but context matters. I am guessing black folks' reasons for being against bussing was distinctly different from white folks' reasons.
This is classic centrism bullshit. Let's just take a poll result that gives us cover from not taking a principled stand and pretend said poll doesn't have hella context surrounding it.
Ok, allow me to address the first sentence. Perhaps, nothing infuriates me more than when people excuse grown ass folks' racism and bigotry by saying "it was a different time". I don't give a shit!
The argument that [insert horrific thing] was more "socially acceptable" then doesn't fly. In fact, it's cowardice.
People knew 45 years ago segregation was immoral and wrong. Don't babble shit to me about it is wrong to judge past times by today's standards. They knew it was wrong. Biden knew it was wrong.
Fact is, he didn't think black kids should be going to "white schools". I don't think his stance was because he was necessarily racist. I really believe it was because he thought things were moving to fast and white folks were still dealing with the whole "Negras having rights" thing.
Biden, like most centrists, is all about incremental change. The problem with incremental change is it usually results in no change. Biden's bussing bill was in 1974-20 years AFTER Brown v Board of Education. Obviously the time for incremental change was over.
Another issue with centrism is it's about keeping the status quo even if the status quo is hot garbage. Insert Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi says ad nauseam she is a progressive, but her record decidedly says otherwise. She does what centrists frequently do. They taut populism or at least a firm principled ideology when in reality they're just interested making sure the corporatist machine is well oiled.
Pelosi has been in the news recently over her condescending remarks regarding Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley and Ilhan Omar aka #TheSquad or as I call them #ProgressiveGoddesses She has been dismissive and resentful of them since they were elected because they represent true progressive values and signal where the Democratic base truly is. Oh, and they're not interested in kissing corporate ass, which in Pelosi's book is almost as blasphemous as suggesting she sucks at her job.
Pelosi's latest ire toward The Squad stemmed from their audible disagreement with the decision of Pelosi and Democratic leadership to cave to Republicans and centrist Democrats passing a bill giving Trump money on immigration. AOC and Tlaib, in particular, voiced concern because of the Trump administration's obvious callousness toward migrants at the southern border and the conditions of the detention centers. They and others questioned (legitimately) if the Trump administration would properly allocate the money.
It should also be noted The Squad and other Democrats (from the entire party spectrum) have publicly began questioning Pelosi's refusal to begin impeachment proceedings on Trump and what is seemingly a cursory effort to hold him accountable for anything. This, too, has Nancy all in her feelings .
Her response to criticism of the immigration appropriation bill was basically BIPARTISANSHIP. How very centrist of her.
It didn't seem to matter Trump locking kids up in cages allowing the children to sit in shitty pissy snot drenched clothing. It appeared to not be enough of an issue that these detention centers were grotesquely overcrowded and it ostensibly is by design they're that way. It is apparent that while Pelosi and Democratic leadership certainly find the fact people were going 15 days without showers, being told to drink out of toilets and women are being denied feminine hygiene products deplorable it's not deplorable enough to deny him what he wanted on an IMMIGRATION appropriations bill.
Why? Incrementalism! The term after corporate donor that gets them the wettest.
I could literally write a volume of books on why centrism is a trash ideology. And, it is an ideology.
The notion that a centrist is someone who just doesn't like rightwing or leftwing politics but is a pragmatist is just disingenuous and silly. The truth is centrism is essentially rightwing politics without the racial dog whistles, overt bigotry, culture war grievances and naked corporate welfare. Sorry. It is.
And, it is time that people who are truly for inclusion, equality, fair wages and a country that works for all its citizens and not just a select group realize that incremental change is not real change. It's just less toxic and more palatable. Saying, "Racism bad" isn't nearly enough to bring forth true equality. Same goes for sexism, homophobia, misogyny, islamophobia and transphobia. Sincere principled stances must be taken even if those stances aren't popular or receive pushback.
Leading isn't putting your finger in the air and seeing which way the wind is blowing. True leadership is going in the right direction even if it is going against the wind.
People like Biden and Pelosi aren't tethered to their beliefs they claim are principled. They are way to willing to compromise on issues that should not be compromised.
They are more interested in getting along to get along instead of holding principled positions and having actual beliefs. To be fair in some instances they were never truly principled in the first place. As an example, they are all about railing against Trumpism but when it comes to actually holding it accountable and calling it out for what it is they go, "It's not the people (it is) but that bad orange man."
That is centrism.
Hey, let's just all be happy even if we aren't happy. Yes, you deserve a 100 but just be ok with your 20. We'll get you another 20 in 15 years or so. We gotta take it slow. It's all about bipartisanship. (Although we all know the other side isn't going to give you 20 because they don't want you to have the 20 you have now, but be patient because we're working on them.)
Uh-huh.
Compromise is fine if it's actual compromise. Otherwise, it's just being a cuck!
Centrism is trash politics!
But now...I realize how idiotic and craven that was. I realize that compromising on certain issues doesn't work when the people you are compromising for don't nor have any intention of giving you an inch.
Now, that doesn't mean a sincere moderate position on an issue is not ok. If that is how one truly feels then that is how they feel. However, some issues-those of human decency and human rights- cannot have a moderate position.
For example, racism. Joe Biden's record and history on race has been under scrutiny the last few weeks.
I sincerely don't believe Biden is a racist or even a bigot, but I do believe he has some racial issues. He is the prototypical example of the "white moderate" Dr. Martin Luther King warned about.
Biden knows racism is wrong. He even realizes the very concept is immoral and illogical. Yet, he has a pattern of sympathizing with racists. He refuses to fully acknowledge and call out racism in a significant swath of this country's electorate.
Instead, he chooses to lay the pestilence of racism at Donald Trump's feet. He said the "fever will break" (regarding the Republican Party) once Trump is out of office. He fails to realize or acknowledge that Trump is a symptom and not the cause. And, I believe he does this because if he acknowledges the racism and bigotry he would then have to acknowledge that a section of the electorate he is ambitiously wanting to sway to his corner is racist and the country is more racist than he wants to accept.
And, a staple of centrism is to acquiesce to the fact some issues (such as race) exist but it's "not that bad" or just wait it out because the racists will come around. It's literally the same tact some rightwingers will utilize to strawman arguments about issues like the pervasiveness of racism.
One more thing about Biden is the bussing issue. Biden's stance on bussing is easily obtainable to anyone that would do 10 minutes of research.
I am sure most people are aware of Biden's bragging about working with well-known segregationists on a multitude of issues including bussing back in the 1970s. In fact, he is quite proud of the collaboration he did with them.
Biden's defenders say, "Hey, it was a different time. Besides only 9% of African-Americans approved of bussing and only 5% of the country."
Now, let me take the second sentence first. Yes, only 9% of blacks wanted bussing, but context matters. I am guessing black folks' reasons for being against bussing was distinctly different from white folks' reasons.
This is classic centrism bullshit. Let's just take a poll result that gives us cover from not taking a principled stand and pretend said poll doesn't have hella context surrounding it.
Ok, allow me to address the first sentence. Perhaps, nothing infuriates me more than when people excuse grown ass folks' racism and bigotry by saying "it was a different time". I don't give a shit!
The argument that [insert horrific thing] was more "socially acceptable" then doesn't fly. In fact, it's cowardice.
People knew 45 years ago segregation was immoral and wrong. Don't babble shit to me about it is wrong to judge past times by today's standards. They knew it was wrong. Biden knew it was wrong.
Fact is, he didn't think black kids should be going to "white schools". I don't think his stance was because he was necessarily racist. I really believe it was because he thought things were moving to fast and white folks were still dealing with the whole "Negras having rights" thing.
Biden, like most centrists, is all about incremental change. The problem with incremental change is it usually results in no change. Biden's bussing bill was in 1974-20 years AFTER Brown v Board of Education. Obviously the time for incremental change was over.
Another issue with centrism is it's about keeping the status quo even if the status quo is hot garbage. Insert Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi says ad nauseam she is a progressive, but her record decidedly says otherwise. She does what centrists frequently do. They taut populism or at least a firm principled ideology when in reality they're just interested making sure the corporatist machine is well oiled.
Pelosi has been in the news recently over her condescending remarks regarding Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley and Ilhan Omar aka #TheSquad or as I call them #ProgressiveGoddesses She has been dismissive and resentful of them since they were elected because they represent true progressive values and signal where the Democratic base truly is. Oh, and they're not interested in kissing corporate ass, which in Pelosi's book is almost as blasphemous as suggesting she sucks at her job.
Pelosi's latest ire toward The Squad stemmed from their audible disagreement with the decision of Pelosi and Democratic leadership to cave to Republicans and centrist Democrats passing a bill giving Trump money on immigration. AOC and Tlaib, in particular, voiced concern because of the Trump administration's obvious callousness toward migrants at the southern border and the conditions of the detention centers. They and others questioned (legitimately) if the Trump administration would properly allocate the money.
It should also be noted The Squad and other Democrats (from the entire party spectrum) have publicly began questioning Pelosi's refusal to begin impeachment proceedings on Trump and what is seemingly a cursory effort to hold him accountable for anything. This, too, has Nancy all in her feelings .
Her response to criticism of the immigration appropriation bill was basically BIPARTISANSHIP. How very centrist of her.
It didn't seem to matter Trump locking kids up in cages allowing the children to sit in shitty pissy snot drenched clothing. It appeared to not be enough of an issue that these detention centers were grotesquely overcrowded and it ostensibly is by design they're that way. It is apparent that while Pelosi and Democratic leadership certainly find the fact people were going 15 days without showers, being told to drink out of toilets and women are being denied feminine hygiene products deplorable it's not deplorable enough to deny him what he wanted on an IMMIGRATION appropriations bill.
Why? Incrementalism! The term after corporate donor that gets them the wettest.
I could literally write a volume of books on why centrism is a trash ideology. And, it is an ideology.
The notion that a centrist is someone who just doesn't like rightwing or leftwing politics but is a pragmatist is just disingenuous and silly. The truth is centrism is essentially rightwing politics without the racial dog whistles, overt bigotry, culture war grievances and naked corporate welfare. Sorry. It is.
And, it is time that people who are truly for inclusion, equality, fair wages and a country that works for all its citizens and not just a select group realize that incremental change is not real change. It's just less toxic and more palatable. Saying, "Racism bad" isn't nearly enough to bring forth true equality. Same goes for sexism, homophobia, misogyny, islamophobia and transphobia. Sincere principled stances must be taken even if those stances aren't popular or receive pushback.
Leading isn't putting your finger in the air and seeing which way the wind is blowing. True leadership is going in the right direction even if it is going against the wind.
People like Biden and Pelosi aren't tethered to their beliefs they claim are principled. They are way to willing to compromise on issues that should not be compromised.
They are more interested in getting along to get along instead of holding principled positions and having actual beliefs. To be fair in some instances they were never truly principled in the first place. As an example, they are all about railing against Trumpism but when it comes to actually holding it accountable and calling it out for what it is they go, "It's not the people (it is) but that bad orange man."
That is centrism.
Hey, let's just all be happy even if we aren't happy. Yes, you deserve a 100 but just be ok with your 20. We'll get you another 20 in 15 years or so. We gotta take it slow. It's all about bipartisanship. (Although we all know the other side isn't going to give you 20 because they don't want you to have the 20 you have now, but be patient because we're working on them.)
Uh-huh.
Compromise is fine if it's actual compromise. Otherwise, it's just being a cuck!
Centrism is trash politics!
