“Moderate Democrat” oxymoron?

Nov. 11 I received an e-mail from someone I’ve known for many years, which included this statement: I really don’t understand how there can be  a moderate democrat (almost an oxymoron)”.

Every blog I post, here, I self-identify myself as a “moderate pragmatic Democrat” (see at right), and have done so since the first posting in 2009.  My friend has been on the blog distribution list for a long time.

I decided to send this quote to over 20 friends who I’d assess as “moderate democrats” to see if any of them would ‘take the bait’.  Eight did, and they, and myself, comment in these four pages: Moderate Democrats Nov 13 2021 (Half of the eight are men, half women.  I don’t identify any of them, including my friend, by gender, and the comments are unedited.)

You are encouraged to submit your own comments on this topic.

from Linda: Nice. Glad you’re having some conversation with Republicans.  I’ve found they shout and then walk away if you don’t immediately agree with them.

from John: see comments in Comments section, below

2 replies
  1. John Bernard
    John Bernard says:

    Just the idea of questioning whether not a moderate Democrat is an oxymoron is a indication of how far right this country has turned.
    In terms of the rest of the world, most of the left leaning Democrats (as they’re called) would be actually either centrist or even slightly right in most parts of the first world (which I guess is now also an archaic term).
    It can also be argued that Eisenhower was a actually a modern day moderate Democrat who simply called himself (or was labeled) a Republican in order to turn the country slightly right from the Roosevelt-Truman years

    Reply
    • dickbernard
      dickbernard says:

      Right on.
      Re Ike, he could’ve been either the Republican or Democrat nominee in ’52. Running for that office is a devils dance, as you know. And back then House UnAmerican Activities Committee, Korea, Sen.Joe McCarthy, etc. were preoccupations. In my opinion today’s Democratic Party is very much like the older times Republican establishment – the “face” of the now former Republican Party.
      from John: On a coincidental sidenote, a biking buddy and I are on a sort of a lark to bicycle to every branch of the San Francisco library – there’s 30 of them – check out a book on either history or biography at each one; read it and return to another branch a couple weeks later. We’re doing probably three or four a day.

      This is one of the books I got yesterday. Selected truly by its cover only – will be interested to see what it says. [Cover photo of the book is in the text section, above]

      Reply

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