Here's to the Centre

The NY Times today reported that Israel's Prime minister elect successfully clinched a partnership agreement with Labor. ("Premier-Elect in Israel Closer to a Coalition", by Greg Myre, NY Times April 28,2006) The citizens of Israel seem poised on rejecting the extremist politics of recent years and embracing a more pragmatic centre. I wish the same would happen here in the U.S. As the Democrats have fallen apart in recent years, losing the connection with the working class and getting painted into the corner as the party of gay-marriage and abortion advocates, one wonders if it could ever be possible. If a strong centre is sign of a healthy body-politic, the U.S. is clearly in poor health. I think we liberals have wasted too much time and money berating the Lee Atwaters and Karl Roves for their dirty politics and negative campaigns (and perhaps even more time and money wasted in impotent efforts to match them). I think the time is now for the Democratic party to make some important overtures to the socially conservative working class and the moderate middle class. In a turn for the better, Chuck Schumer, head of the Senate Democratic Caucus, has embraced the wildly popular Robert Casey Jr. in a challenge to Republican Senator Rick Santorum in the Pennsylvania Senate race this fall. Casey, yes that Casey, is the son of the late Robert Casey, the Catholic, Pro-life Democratic governor of Pennsylvania who was sued by Planned Parenthood in the early 90's after the state passed legislation restricting abortion rights. Casey Jr. is the exact same as the old man, and therefore is well loved throughout the state.

Now I'm not saying I want to see the whole party go pro-life, but it is absolutely essential the the party open up the tent to a wider range of social opinions, within reason, and start forging stronger alliances with moderate Republicans. While I might personally agree with the social politics of the liberal boys and girls who seem to be clambering around Howard Dean's stewardship of the party, I feel that as long the only platform put forth is that Bush is bad, Republicans lie, etc... the party will stay dead in the water, despite the fabulous opportunity that the ineptitude of the Bush administration presents for the mid-term elections. What the Democrats need to do now is show the nation that it is prepared to be a mature policy driven party with a focus on the economic needs of the majority of working Americans. This may mean downplaying opposition to the War for fear it comes off as anti-troops and it definitely means identifying more candidates in moderate states like Casey who can neutralize the social differences between Democrat and Republican candidates. For me the rallying cry for this Fall is simple:

Here's to the Centre!






-aly