The Radical Center
Link: Ted Halstead and Michael Lind's The Radical Center. 
Any movement to the center, in my humble opinion, is good for America. If the politics of "free love" and "big government" were bad ideas, what are we to make of the politics of "race and hate"? The problem with extremists is that they want/must have control of the dialog. I certainly do not agree with all the ideas espoused by the authors (published in 2002) but at least the "Radical Center" is a "place" where we can have an effective dialog concerning health care, education, globalization, the environment and the myriad of other problems that confront humanity in the 21st century.
Of course, in American politics we like "bright lines and clear distinctions" and that seems to preclude (my prediction) a movement to the center by BOTH parties. But if one party owns the center, and the other chooses a reactionary path, then the latter may be relegated to a status of "permanent minority"--which might be OK for some political types but not for the nation. Here's hoping that both parties fight for the center, but in the near term that is not only unlikely but highly improbable.
