Quote:
Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates
I do think this phenomenon is reaching its peak though and we'll see a movement back to the middle in politics soon. There's a growing number of people feeling completely missed by either side. I'm hopeful at least.
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That presumes that this is a "both sides" issue, when it isn't for the most part. The moderate parties that are generally acting sane and responsible (i.e. NDP in BC and Alberta, Democrats in the US, etc.) are the ones who are underperforming where they should be based on the fundamentals. If people want centrism, it's still there. But the right is increasingly being captured by populists.
I mean, it's not a partisan obersvation that the mainstream right is straying way further to the extreme than their opponents are. Compare the last few NDP leaders vs. their opposition:
Adrian Dix -> John Horgan -> David Eby; 3 people who are broadly similar. Horgan has a bit more appeal to the working class, but their policies and beliefs are all relatively similar. Compare that to their opposition:
Christy Clark -> Kevin Falcon -> John Rustad; there you have a centre-right leader in Clark, who aligns with the federal Liberals, Falcon who aligns with the federal Conservatives, and then Rustad, who is ideologically aligned what were once the most fringe elements of the right.
Or the US; compare Obama -> Clinton -> Biden -> Harris vs. McCain -> Romney -> Trump. There's absolutely no comparison between the two sides in terms of who is veering towards extremism.