Centrism can mean a lot of different things, but as Civic Action founder Nick Hanauer argues in The New Republic, the neoliberal centrism that has long dominated our politics is fundamentally about balancing the interests of the very wealthy with the interests of everyone else.
John —
There’s a lot of talk about “centrism” in politics — but what is “the center” really about? Is it about splitting the difference between the far-right and far-left? Or is it about standing for things that are broadly popular and broadly beneficial?
Centrism can mean a lot of different things, but as Civic Action founder Nick Hanauer argues in The New Republic, the neoliberal centrism that has long dominated our politics is fundamentally about balancing the interests of the very wealthy with the interests of everyone else.
The neoliberal centrism of splitting differences is how you end up with a federal minimum wage stagnant at $7.25 for 15 years — it’s right in the center of the $0 that wealthy extremists want, and the $15/hour that’s overwhelmingly popular.
That’s not centrism, that’s defending the status quo.
But there's also another kind of center — a majoritarian center that's focused on centering the interests of the majority of people. It's not about splitting differences — it’s about pursuing policies that are broadly popular and broadly beneficial.
That's what true majoritarian centrism is about. It's the neoliberal center that's actually extreme.
