Many on this forum see their desire for a more progressive nation to be at odds with the kind of Clintonesque policy triangulation commonly associated with the DLC. In this diary entry I want to suggest that if Democrats have a more sophisticated understanding of the electoral process they will see that moving more towards progressive values while also triangulating actually go hand in hand. Let me explain.
Triangulation occurs when candidates move towards the center of the political spectrum in order to attract enough votes to beat the other party. If the Democrats follow a triangulation strategy in elections they will typically run candidates who implement policies that are more toward the right than most Democrats would like. When both parties follow a triangulation approach we get the kind of politics we have now...both parties taking centrist positions in the general election...moving from the center when the shadow of the election does not loom too large...and activists on both sides very dissatisfied with the policies advocated by their national candidates.
There are two keys to moving the country to the left. First, we must move the center further to the left. Think about the center in Europe versus the center in America. What explains the differences? We need to inculcate progressive values through the education system, the media and informal communication. Basically, this requires a network of think tanks, intellectual centers, and respected political figures to make the case for the left. Elected officials can serve some role here but not large. Changing preferences must be done by folks outside the political system.
Second, we must change the dimensions of the conflict between left and right so that the "center" of the primary dimension of conflict favors progressives. This is where elected officials are so important, why winning a majority in either house of Congress or the Presidency is so crucial. Elected officials can help set an agenda that works for the left.
Unfortunately, this has been the real problem the last two years and is why policy seems to be moving to right. The Republicans have enjoyed complete agenda setting power and they have used it ruthlessly. But, changing the dimensions of conflict means picking dimensions that help progressives, not fighting on the dimensions the right wants to move.
We must expect and accept that our politicians on the left will be forced to take some bitter medicine when they don't control the agenda. They must triangulate or lose election. That is why we should not be too hard on Congressional Dems like Kerry and Edwards who had to make serious compromises on the war and on taxes. Those are issues that didn't work very well with voters. Instead we want to shift the debate to the environment, health care, jobs etc and watch for places the other side over steps...e.g., the way in which the war in Iraq has been waged, the Patriot Act etc.
Bottomline. Democrats need to understand that we need a division of labor. The principle job of politicians is to triangulate enough to win and set the agenda well once victory is achieved to move the center to the left. The principle job of activists is to help convince the center that they would prefer more progressive policies. The principle job of voters is to be sophisticated about the division of labor and be tolerant of triangulation but intolerant of politicians who set losing agendas.
