Nice piece. I think the litmus test for centrists in determining if they are ideology first or not is in how passionately they voice their views on key issues. Ideology first and the position you maintain isn’t really one you’ve reached. It’s just a position that represents your centrism. Difficult to be passionate about an immigration policy if the policy is representative of a position rather than actual thought out values.
Jul 8, 2023·edited Jul 8, 2023Liked by Bentham's Bulldog
When Richard Hanania coined the term "Enlightened Centrist" he used it to draw a categorical boundary, excluding the political group you're (rightfully) complaining about.
He said: "I would propose that we call them “Enlightened Centrists” (EC). In politics, we usually think of a centrist as someone who is a moderate on most issues, like say Joe Manchin. That’s not the way I use the term here. In this context, a centrist is simply someone who has a constellation of views that don’t completely line up with either the right or the left. This centrism is “enlightened” based on certain traits..."
Personally I think the term is self-masturbatory and a "holier than thou" shaped target, doomed to follow the same linguistic gallows walk as "woke", but it's a useful and distinct category. The term's main qualifier is that it does not include the group that you're using it to describe though. Which... is odd.
Nice piece. I think the litmus test for centrists in determining if they are ideology first or not is in how passionately they voice their views on key issues. Ideology first and the position you maintain isn’t really one you’ve reached. It’s just a position that represents your centrism. Difficult to be passionate about an immigration policy if the policy is representative of a position rather than actual thought out values.
When Richard Hanania coined the term "Enlightened Centrist" he used it to draw a categorical boundary, excluding the political group you're (rightfully) complaining about.
He said: "I would propose that we call them “Enlightened Centrists” (EC). In politics, we usually think of a centrist as someone who is a moderate on most issues, like say Joe Manchin. That’s not the way I use the term here. In this context, a centrist is simply someone who has a constellation of views that don’t completely line up with either the right or the left. This centrism is “enlightened” based on certain traits..."
Personally I think the term is self-masturbatory and a "holier than thou" shaped target, doomed to follow the same linguistic gallows walk as "woke", but it's a useful and distinct category. The term's main qualifier is that it does not include the group that you're using it to describe though. Which... is odd.