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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1388477&mesg_id=1388477>
Turn CO Blue Wed Nov-24-04 06:58 PM
Original message
Oh sure, just keep moving to the Center -- my counterpointEveryone with Centrist views assumes that there is some zero-point on a static line - some allegedly agreed-upon, permanent "middle" ideology, that is grounded and moderate in nature. I disagree. Here is an illustration of what I think happens every time the Dems move toward the illusionary "Center":
1. If the Dems keep moving to the Center, then we have participated in an open agreement with the Right's set of values, positions, arguments and ideology or a least an agreement with most of it.
2. That will prompt the Repubs to have more confidence in their agenda and to begin to push the more controversial and hardline right-wing positions even harder -- with the result being that they move even farther to the Right.
3. That means that there is a now a new Center (because the Left moved over to the "old center" and the Right moved farther Right)
4. Repeat steps 1-3 (like a bunch of cowards after every election) until the "Left" (wink, wink) has become bunch of Fascists in their ideology, and the Right is...well, I can't even imagine what's worse and more right-wing than Fascism.
So, just because there is a certain set of right-wing positions in 2004 -- doesn't mean that there aren't going to be new agendas and more extreme sets of values to "embrace" in 2008, or 2024, until the end of time.
Once the political landscape is set for oppression, censorship, wealth-mongering, war-mongering, hyper-nationalism, etc., etc. - there will be NO MODERATION, due to the very nature of those evils.
This illustration is obviously too simplistic, especially for you guru's out there who really understand government theory and political science - but I was trying to make a point.