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How Do You Define Center

Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by LeBuick, Aug 10, 2009.

  1. LeBuick

    LeBuick New Member

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    Presently the country is in a huge debate over health insurance reform. I've reading articles where the media is increasingly defining center as no public option.

    Lets switch this around and say hypothetically that 60% want no public option and 40% want the public option, where is center? Is center having the public option so that the majority can say they worked with the minority? Or is center eliminating the public option but compromising on other parts of the bill?
     
  2. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    People who don't know what in the world they want to do. Usually people with no strong moral conviction and who want to remain non-political, non-religious,
     
  3. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    Political center would be somewhere to the right of the two major parties, rendering them the useless entities that they are. The center is not a fixed point between the two parties, as no such space exists. They are two peas in a pod.
     
  4. Rippon

    Rippon Well-Known Member
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    That doesn't make any sense. Going right of the Democrats would put folks into the Republican camp. But you go beyond that and say it's past even the GOP. Do think the center means the realm of the John Birch Society or something?! Absurd.
     
  5. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    Well, first of all, it makes more sense than your theories about John Calvin. Probably the reason you do not understand is that you do not live here, and more than likely have a total misunderstanding of American history and the US Constitution.

    To correct your first mistake, the John Birch Society is not left or right, it is a hate group. To correct your second mistake, for some reason, you have the notion that the Republican party is conservative, when in fact it is liberal, and only a notch or two to the right of the Democrats. The center is the US Constitution, which neither party governs by, and both have pulled this nation to the left. Research before opening mouth.

    Say, I heard John Calvin just came out with a new top 10 hit called "Light My Fire." Have you got your copy yet?
     
  6. Palatka51

    Palatka51 New Member

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    Totally unquantifiable and completely untrue.
     
  7. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    Thats your opinion buddy and totally devoid of facts. Back up your statement. While the JBS claims to be in line with the Constitution, their real agenda is something else. They opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, accused President Eisenhower of being a communist conduit. In short, they are a collection of nut cases.
     
    #7 saturneptune, Aug 10, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 10, 2009
  8. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    Centrism is a very general term. A democrat that leans conservative on some issues might be a centrist, as would a republican who leans liberal on some issues. It also depends on who is definign the term. For example, a person who is agaisnt gay marriage but in favor of civil unions will be considered conservative by a hardleading libaral, but will be considered liberal by a hard-leaning conservative.

    If one considers people to be moderate liberals and moderate conservatives to be centrist, then you end up with a serious voting force, one that decides most elections. Yet, history dictates that, when parties swing towards the center, they lose centrist votes, instead of gaining them. This is currently evidenced by the last several years of the republican party leaning centrist, while more centrists voted for Obama than McCain. The same thing happenned to the Democratic Party during the Reagan election.

    The bottom line is that centrists aren't usually in the center. They usually fall either to the right of center, or left of center. Those defining centrism have the difficult task of determining where the cut-off line is between a left and left of center, and right and right of center. That definition is usually inconsistent.
     
  9. Palatka51

    Palatka51 New Member

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    It never was an organization motivated by hate. It always was a movement that opposed government intrusion in everyday life. It opposed Eisenhower's handling of the Korean War (just as many here had opposed Bush's handling of Iraq) and the Civil Rights Act because of principle not on basis of hate. The JBS felt that there was enough established law to achieve racial equality if it were only enforced. More government intrusion via the CRA would undermine racial equality as it most certainly has through racial quotas by affirmative action.
     
  10. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    How is that in opposition to the consitution?
     
  11. Palatka51

    Palatka51 New Member

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    I saw a Simpson trailer the other day that showed Homer stuck on a wrecking ball being slammed between a rock and a hard place. That would be a great analogy of a centrist, being swung between two views and never settling will eventually wreck your life. :laugh:
     
  12. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    This is getting way off topic. I did not inject the John Birch Society into this thread, another person who will not take up for his position did. If you want, we can start a thread on how the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Act relates to the Constitution and the character of the JBS. I grew up in Mississippi in an era most posting here were not even alive, and have little or no tolerance of groups or others that treat groups of people like trash because of their race, religion or any other class reason.
     
  13. billwald

    billwald New Member

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    The center is the vast majority who make the best out of life the way they find it and get on with the important things in life as St Peter did . . . like fishing. Also football, feasting, frisbees, fried egg sandwiches, and other interesting things that start with the letter, " f."
     
  14. OldRegular

    OldRegular Well-Known Member

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    Center is spineless, gutless, mealy mouthed, whatever strikes your spineless fancy.
     
  15. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    The question wasn't what attribites you ascibe to "centrist" the question washow onw defines "center".

    Like I said earlier, centrism is a very general term, and not objective at all. A democrat that leans conservative on some issues might be considered a centrist, as would a republican who leans liberal on some issues.

    But it also depends on who is definign the term. For example, a person who is against gay marriage but in favor of civil unions will be considered conservative by a hardleading libaral, but will be considered liberal by a hard-leaning conservative. Some will consider that person centrist, while others woudl consider that person as moderately conservative (as poopsed to far-right conservative).

    The bottom line is that centrists aren't usually in the center. They usually fall either to the right of center, or left of center. Those defining centrism have the difficult task of determining where the cut-off line is between a left and left of center, and right and right of center. That definition is usually inconsistent.
     
  16. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    In todays mindset of Democrat vs Republican, I agree 100% with you. We have come so far left, as someone noted above, the Constitution now days is considered right wing.
     
  17. OldRegular

    OldRegular Well-Known Member

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    I thought that was a pretty good definition!
     
  18. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    To Poncho

    I consider you to be as close to me on viewing the Constitution and politics as anyone here. So what is your definition of the center? Also, how do you size up the John Birch Society?
     
  19. LeBuick

    LeBuick New Member

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    First let me apologize because I twisted the original post.

    I agree that center is a general term and I find it is only used by the party out of power. The party in power almost never uses the word.

    If the GOP had 90 seats and the Dems had 10 seats in the senate, you would never hear one of the 90 use the word center. However, the 10 democrats would use the words center and bipartisan every time they are given a mic.

    What's more intriguing to me is the power those words have. You can actually change a presidents position just by saying,"he's not governing from the center". You can actually make drastic changes to legislation just by saying, "what they are trying to pass is not bipartisan". Even though we are talking about a 90 to 10 majority, the 90 will honestly work with the 10 for fear of being accused of non-bipartisanship.

    These two simple words give great power to the minority. They hold the 90 at gun point and dares, no, double dares the 90 to run over the 10. "I dare you" they say. You can run me over and have your way today but you will pay a price later if you do.

    What power there is in those two words...
     
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