The Third Way Is a Death Trap
Centrists look at a burning planet, a racist in the White House — and plead for moderation.
Bill Clinton speaks during the awarding of the 2002 Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) Clinton Center Award for Leadership and National Service, April 11, 2002 in Washington, DC. (Manny Ceneta / Getty Images)
Is centrism dead? Or is it sexy?
Alexandra Ocasio-Cortéz’s congressional primary victory in New York and the rise of other democratic socialist candidates has scrambled the political landscape. Demands that just a couple years ago seemed unthinkable in mainstream US politics — Medicare for All, a universal jobs guarantee, free college — are now the centerpiece of viable political campaigns.
But the centrists aren’t giving up. New York Times columnist Frank Bruni rushed to moderation’s defense a few weeks back, pronouncing it “sexier than you think.” Former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman followed up a column in March touting the win of a centrist Democrat in Illinois with a column last month pillorying Ocasio-Cortéz
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