Democratic candidates are no longer plunging heedlessly leftward. In some cases, they’ve inched back toward the center, writes columnist DoyleMcManus.
At the outset of the presidential campaign, Democratic Party elders worried about an epidemic sweeping from one primary state to the next: a sudden plague of litmus tests.
But in recent weeks, the Democratic tide has shifted. As they’ve barnstormed Iowa and New Hampshire, and spent more time talking with ordinary voters, candidates have begun tacking back toward the center. But as details emerged, many voters weren’t happy to learn the plan would bar them from buying private health insurance, even if they wanted it. In an unusual move,In last week’s debate, Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg all said they opposed Sanders’ plan because it would raise taxes and remove the option of private coverage. None of them got booed.Last year, progressives pressed candidates for a promise to abolish the agency that enforces immigration laws, often with draconian means.
Another option: Just say yes. That’s what most candidates did when asked whether the House of Representatives should launch immediate impeachment proceedings against Trump. “Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47,” O’Rourke declared, drawing cheers from the debate audience. That makes it a good short-term issue for O’Rourke to take to primary voters — but a dangerous position for a front-runner looking toward the general election.Litmus tests aren’t new. The late columnist William Safire traced the term to the 1970s, when conservative activists in the Republican Party sought to separate “true believers” from wishy-washy centrists.
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