the center cannot hold

Centrism is Dead (And It Never Really Existed)

It's a common refrain these days to hear people lament a decline of the so-called "center" in American politics. We're supposed to look on in horror as "moderate" Republicans and Democrats become an engaged species of liberty-fighting patriots steamrolled by frothing, insane hordes of populist barbarians on their left and right flanks. They're the voice of reason, lovers of apple pie and staunch defenders of our constitution and all that's good and right in the US of A.