Being a Moderate Democrat is an Oxymoron

[Perky]

Can the party maintain its identity with moderates pulling it towards the middle?

[liberal democrat]

1. Absolutely.

It's the only way we will survive. The country is against liberalism at this juncture in our history. Even though I am liberal, I want my Democratic Party to win elections. Our only true Senate victory this time was Salazar of Colorado because he was known as a centrist.

[Telly Savalas]

8. We can win with liberals too

For example, both Feingold and Obama won votes from a fair number of Bush voters. There isn't a single formula for success. But I agree that moderates form an important part of our party, and that shutting them out would be suicidal.

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. Beg to differ -- the country overwhelmingly favors liberalism,

but don't know that their beliefs = liberalism. They think liberal is a dirty word, but what do they believe?

Civil unions? Yes
Social Security? Yes
Full enfranchisement of our citizens? Yes
Equal pay for equal work? Yes
Legal abortion, if used only when necessary? Yes
Quality public schools? Yes
Separation of church and state? Yes

Most people, when questioned, answer this way.

We don't need to change our positions. We need to define them, and reframe the debate, show the RW as the extremists they are.

We will never move far enough to the right to satisfy the right. They'll just keep moving the bar.

[unblock]

2. being a moderate REPUBLICAN is an oxymoron

[LoZoccolo]

3. Left, middle, bah.

The spectrum is becoming a substitute for making sound and reasonable decisions. "Left" is more of an identity thing here than anything. There may be an order of magnitude more threads on "left" vs. "center" blah blah than "I think we should pursue course A on issue X for the following reasons...".

Most of what I disagree with people here on are practical matters, strategic matters, and matters of people taking things to meaningless, harmful, emotional, or spiteful extremes. It's pretty much things like that which define me as moderate.

[unblock]

4. come to think of it, being a republican is just plain being a moron

[LoZoccolo]

5. This thread has already dissolved into nothing meaningful.

This is because one's answer to the title is the opposite of the answer to the text of the message. We have no idea of how many people were confused by that.

[zaj]

6. BS ...a moderate "liberal"? Maybe. A moderate "conservative"? Maybe.

I'm a moderate Democrat. I'm not a liberal exactly, nor am I a conservative. But I am certainly a democrat.

[davidinalameda]

7. not really

I'm a fiscal moderate and a social liberal

[catbert836]

9. No political party has won elections without moderates.

Think about it.

[Crunchy Frog]

11. I think you're asking two separate questions

Do I think a person can be a moderate Democrat? Yes. Do I think that moderates and their concerns should be excluded from the Democratic party? No, they shouldn't be and they aren't, in fact, the Democratic party as a whole is overwhelmingly moderate already.

The other question seems to be asking: Should the Democratic party move towards the middle to accomodate "moderates"? When asked this way, the question usually means, should the party move even farther to the right and accomodate even more Republican ideology than it does already? The answer to that question IMO is no. The party has already moved so far to the "center" that it is in danger of completely losing its identity and being marginalized into non-existence.

Do we want to be the Democratic party or do we want to be the old Rockefeller/Goldwater wing of the Republican party. I want us to continue being the Democratic party, but with our views and our vision more clearly and sharply defined.

I realize that this view is becoming unpopular on this board, but it's my opinion.

[QC]

12. The Democratic Party was never entirely, or even primarily,

leftist. It has traditionally been a coalition, sometimes an uneasy one, between southern conservatives and northern urbanites, farmers and labor, Catholics and Southern Baptists, genuine leftists and ardent anti-communists like John Kennedy and Harry Truman, etc.

Those who look back to a golden age when they Democratic Party was leftist are dealing in nostalgia for a time that never was. They need to take a bit of time off the message boards and read some history.

[liberal democrat]

13. good stuff! n/t

[liberal democrat]

14. good stuff! n/t

[JohnKleeb]

16. Thats true

I hear a lot about it but there really is no period of time where our party was all lfetist.

[zaj]

17. exactly

kick

[Dr Fate]

15. Its not about being more Liberal. Its about FIGHTING for TRUTH.

And Democrats in power are too afraid of Judy Woodruff and Karl Rove to even do that.

What does Bush's lying & corruption have to do with the DEMS being more liberal or more moderate?

DEMS refused to tell the truth about Bush- they still do. We will when if we ever get the guts to STAND UP and TELL THE TRUTH. I dont care if a moderate does it or a Liberal does it.

[ColumbiaCowboy]

18. Question ridiculous on it's face

Do you think the Party is the property of liberals, and that they can choose to accept or reject moderates?
We're every bit as dedicated to the Democratic Party as the most liberal members.
As for those who claim the Party is "moving to the right" or being too accomidating to moderates, please name the last pro-life Democrat to speak at our convention...

Hell, if anything we're MORE dedicated to the Party. I've gone out and worked my tail off for liberal candidates I wasn't crazy about, while countless liberals have refused to support moderate candidates like Gore. I assure you, moderates are NOT feeling welcome or accepted by the Party these days, and this board does nothing to reassure me. The comments about Joe Lieberman I see kinda re-affirm that.