Conservatives frequently refer to themselves as centrists or neither. In the U.S., it is obvious someone is a right wing asshat if they claim to be centrist or neither.
“bOtH sIdEz r EqUaLlY bAd!!!”
If they were really centrist they’d vote democrat anyway, as that’s the centrist party.
Many leftists also vote democrat. Lesser of two evils, a two party system, no ranked choice voting, etc. etc. etc. etc.
Well america does not have a real left tbh ! Many people think of socialism as left wing while it is the economic center , someone supporting social left policies like lgbt rights can be considered liberal , but they can still be against universal healthcare or other socialist polices and then votes dem , coz they are liberal!
Depends on the centrist I want a smaller government more than anything which 9 out of 10 times forces me to go republican or libertarian. I like democrat ideas at times but hate their execution. Democrats fumble the ball every time they get it once the Pelosi’s and Bidens are out of the party I might give them another shot.
What do you think of the fact that the GOP is responsible for the vast majority of overspending the US does? They consistently drive up the national deficit every time they’re in a position to do so. They deregulate and remove the teeth from federal agencies, bitch about how ineffective the government is at dealing with things, deregulate more, cut taxes for the wealthy, drive up taxes for the poor and middle class, and then shovel our money into the Pentagon. If you were actually compelled by small government and less spending, you’d be voting democrat every time. They’re the only ones that actually reduce spending on a federal level
The large-language model here has aptly synthesized the thoughts of just about every “centrist” I’ve ever encountered: Votes Republican based on policies the party allegedly supports but obviously doesn’t, won’t vote Democratic based on some vague complaint about style, yet perfectly content with all of the egregious things Republicans actually do.
Claiming to want a smaller government and voting republican… They haven’t been small government for 30 years. They collect the same amount, often more, in taxes they just shift the tax burden onto the poor through sales tax (at state levels) instead of keeping progressive taxation. Then they use that money to subsidize rich people. Uneducated morons lap it up and think they are saving money because their state has a lower, or no, state income tax, without realizing they are actually paying more through a higher sales and property tax.
It’s crazy. I noticed this on dating sites. I live in a red area, but I ONLY would see “other” or “centrist” I think I could count on one hand how many people I saw actually say they were conservative.
Naturally they all had their identity set as “free thinkers…”
I use dating sites mainly for hookups and unless someone is explicity left I dont talk to them about their , centrist beliefs coz most of the times they left me offended !
Same in Germany. To call yourself Right in Germany is, well, we had a very right wing government and we swore “never again”.
So the conservatives are center, the liberals are center, the social Democrats aren’t really left anymore and self identify as center and the same is with the green party. There is one party called The Left and they obviously identify as left but can’t agree on what that means. And the far right party (AfD) calls themselves Conservative.
Not just the US , that is a worldwide thing ! Although dems are not left either !
True. By all international standards, the U.S. Dems are a conservative party while the GOP is a fascism party. The Overton window in the U.S. is very far to the right. Conservatism has gone unchecked for so long it is running rampant. It needs to be extinguished. It’s a health and safety issue at this point.
I’m a centrist generally I believe in climate change want to expand immigration but also want to cut spending, scale back military involvement and focus more on state’s rights. I don’t really fit with either side.
How would one scale back government and focus on climate change and expanding immigration? And state’s rights to do what exactly?
I’d move the US to work more like the EU. Conservatives could move to conservative areas and liberals could move to liberal areas with more power to pass things they want to see in their area. Some states would be able to address climate change and handle immigration in any way they want. Others could focus on safety, firearms, low taxes and personal freedoms. Each state would be more responsible for balancing its own budget and planning for emergencies. Without FEMA etc if a hurricane strike Florida they best have had their emergency fund ready and or get help from trading partners otherwise your out of luck. It’s like a modern HOA living in one gets you better roads, amenities etc if they mismanaged it then taxes go up people leave and they redo their books to incentivize the next generation back. America would become more nomadic as people try to strike the best deal every few decades while some political die hards would stick to a state for certain reasons maybe abortion laws or being in an unregulated industry local to that specific state.
Whatever they want basically with some fundamental rights such as allowing other citizens emigration and immigration within the US.
