Comment by aspenmayer
2 days ago
I think the center in modern American politics has historically been neoliberalism, which explains why the center keeps holding. Neoliberalism is only now having to respond to populism on the left and right, which has caused the balance of power to shift on each side. The neoconservative bloc has attained power on the right with the rise of Trump and the Tea Party before him, and some folks on the left have acquired influence, like Bernie Sanders and AOC. The center is holding less and less as the bureaucracy is being fired and defunded.
I don’t mean to be dismissive, as I think your reading is also accurate. The center of mass is shifting, but I’m not sure the locus of control is as much.
Sanders and AOC are fringe socialists who hold no power in either the press, or the political establishment.
MAGAnuts are now the mainstream face, body, and soul of the political establishment.
Where exactly is the 'center' between the latter and Chuck Schumer? Where is that 'center' going to be in three years, as every month, MAGA picks up the goalposts and moves them a few miles right-wards?
I think AOC is closer to the establishment than even I realized. AOC walked Khalil out from within the security perimeter to meet with family members and waiting press including Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWpRCoQ2wWE
AOC is doing the important work that Congresspeople do. I don’t know if it’s fair to say that she’s fringe. She’s showing up and doing the work that other people don’t show up and do. If it’s fringe work, that is fair to say I guess if you feel that way. I was surprised to see her in this video but at the same time it seems totally in character for her to be there. I think she’s probably going to run for president or vice president at some point in the next few cycles if I had to guess, and these are baby steps to build trust with the Muslim community and get in front of reporters on a national issue.