Goldilocks was a centrist
by digby
Oh boy. Here's an interview with Angus King which seems to indicate that he plots political issues on graph paper and calculates the exact middle ground on each one without regard to whether or not it makes any sense or will result in a reasonable outcome. It's an easy way to do things, and I'd imagine Villagers will fall into an orgasmic swoon at the mere idea of such an attractive man of the middle in their midst, but it's actually completely cracked.
[Angus]King — the independent who is roiling the political landscape in his quest for the Maine Senate seat — is trying to project himself as an insurgent candidate: one who is prepared to stick it to leaders in Washington and someone whose post-election decision on which side of the aisle to join could determine control of the Senate.
He’s also making a populist pitch, trying to start a movement aimed at weakening the stranglehold both parties have on Capitol Hill.
“I represent a threat,” King, a former two-term governor who had retired from politics until last month, told POLITICO. “If it can happen in Maine, it can happen in other places. And they need to start looking toward the middle, instead of always toward the right or the left.”
I'm sure this will hold great appeal for people but in practical terms it means that he will operate as a Republican, even if he caucuses as a Democrat. But apparently, the symbolism of being "independent" is more important than anything:
Dave Hunt, a 61-year-old Democratic voter who owns a record store here, said it’s appealing that King is running as independent.
“Things are polarized these days, and I think when you attach yourself to one party or another, it just kind of feeds into that,” Hunt said.
There you have it.
I think centrism is a toxic ideology that leads to torpor at best and full blown plutocracy or authoritarianism at worst. There is no Goldilocks Principle in politics, despite the endless assurances by Villagers like Gloria Borger that there is one. He'll end up being like Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh, whining incessantly about extremism "on both sides" --- thus enabling the most extreme conservative faction in a century who finds them to be hilariously useful idiots.
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