Is there room in 2020 for a centrist Democrat? Maybe
Howard Schultz, the former Starbucks chief executive contemplating an independent run for president, stated it as a plain matter of fact: For someone with his views — a distinctly white-collar blend of conservative fiscal instincts and liberal social values — there is no suitable political party.
That would come as news to the eight or nine Democrats who may seek their party’s presidential nomination on versions of that very platform.
They call themselves moderates and problem-solvers, consensus-builders and pragmatists. Monochrome and male, they do not embody social change, and few hold out the promise of making history. Among them are former mayors, like Michael Bloomberg of New York and Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans; current and former governors, including John Hickenlooper of Colorado and Terry Mcauliffe of Virginia; Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado; and a smattering of House members. Atop the pack is a former vice president: Joe Biden.
If they run, these Democrats would test whether there is a large audience of primary voters open to promises of incremental change and political compromise, or whether the ascendant liberal wing is now fully dominant, defining the party’s agenda around transformational goals like enacting single-payer health care and breaking up big banks.
In most cases, these Democrats are framing their moderate instincts in terms of political process — stressing their willingness to cooperate with Republicans — or fiscal and economic concerns, including sensitivity to private business and government debt. They largely agree with more liberal Democrats on issues like guns, abortion and gay rights, which once divided the party.
Bloomberg offered an uncommonly tart rendition of this cohort’s worldview in New Hampshire last week, warning that a “Medicare for all” health care policy would “bankrupt” the country. He also dismissed a proposal by Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, to impose an annual wealth tax on enormous personal fortunes, as “probably unconstitutional.” Warren engaged the fight, branding Bloomberg on Twitter as a