Are “Closet Progressives” Obscuring the Fact That Americans Are Center-left?
By Jesse Singal - Nov 13th, 2008 at 6:25 pmVia Feministe, Robert Borosage of The Campaign for America’ Future argues that the United States is, in fact, a center-left nation:
Sure, this is a center-right country, but only if you substitute addition for analysis. There are more conservatives than liberals — as there has been for years. So add them to the 44 percent of the electorate that says they are “moderates,” and you get a center-right majority.
But do a little analysis. “Moderate” isn’t a place holder, as voters who describe themselves that way have attitudes on the issues of the day. And when you look at attitudes, rather than addition, there is no question: Conservatives have had their day. This is a center-left, not a center-right nation.
The Campaign for America’s Future joined with Democracy Corps to do a nation wide poll on election eve (for full report and poll go here) and with an expanded sample, we could probe attitudes of voters by political identification. What we found was clear: on both values and issues, moderates line up with liberals to form a strong majority that isolates conservatives.
I would imagine that this effect–self-described “moderates” whose views tend to run alongside those of progressives–will diminish if progressives, understanding that this is a crucial moment, work to un-demonize the term “liberal” and roll back many of the more ridiculous notions about left-leaning folks that conservative pundits have successfully drilled into peoples’ heads in recent years.
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