In Defense of Centrists

In a recent New York Times column, Paul Krugman rightly charges Republicans with hypocrisy for espousing fiscal responsibility while adding trillions to the national debt, but adds “my anger isn't mostly directed at Republicans; it's directed at their enablers, professional centrists…” I rise to the defense of the centrists.

I consider myself a moderate Democrat, not a centrist. I was proud to serve in two Democratic administrations (Johnson and Clinton), but I don't think either party has all the right answers, especially on economic policy. Indeed, I believe the polarization of the electorate into warring red and blue tribes makes bipartisan negotiation leading to a centrist economic agenda more, rather than less necessary.