There is a kind of optimism on display that should rankle any Radical Centrist. As we wander through the nuclear fallout of the last election, unsure of how deadly the radiation exposure will be, some have already begun to offer “a bright side”.
The argument goes something like this. Yes, the election was poisonous and many things that would shock any semblance of a civilized society were said. But! Maybe the burden of actually ruling will change them. Perhaps they didn’t mean what they said.
It is always terrifying when the only hope to be found is that the realities of leadership will make ideologues into sensible people. But aside from the fear, we have to realize that the great conflict has already begun- in fact, it began 18 months ago and won’t stop for the next four years. We, as Americans, can not allow for a normalization of these politics. What the coasts thought would be a sharp rebuke and destruction to the great Red Elephant was, in fact, it’s miraculous resurrection.
This is not a call to prepare for the worst, but to remember that for every moment, from now until 2020, we have a duty as citizens to roll the fallen marble column of American discourse and rational politics up the long hill. The worst has already arrived. Vigilance, it seems, was not a priority for Liberals, and especially Centrists, who allowed ourselves to be swayed from the center to the far wings. It is our great task to lob rocks over the bridge onto the swerving cars of radicals from both ends of the spectrum, and rebuild a place where rational governing is understood as the upmost display of patriotism. This time, the coup came from the right, but that does not mean the pendulum will not swing the other way. We must never forget our sacred duty.
Woman outside Independence Hall: “Well, do we have a republic or a monarchy?”
Ben Franklin: “A republic madam. If you can keep it.”
-Jack Delaney
The Radical Centrists 