ABSTRACT
Asked where I belong on the political spectrum, I would put myself on the left, close to the center. Having experienced extremism on the left (I grew up in a family of Soviet sympathizers), I have no desire to wind up on the extreme at either end. The center is the place of moderation and compromise. Those closer to the extremes of the spectrum view the center as insipid and contemptible, representing attitudes of excessive caution and even cowardice. And that may be the case on occasion, but such a judgment tells us nothing of the value of the compromises arrived at. It may even turn out in certain instances that a compromise could improve upon the opposing positions. Imagine an open-ended compromise, eventually leading to the complete abolition of slavery, that might have averted the Civil War. The willingness to compromise does not necessarily bespeak a lack of conviction. I may strongly agree with those on the left that health care should be covered by a single payer, but realize that its enactment is not politically feasible. I am then willing to find common ground with those who oppose a single payer but believe in the importance of expanding health care to cover everyone. 72I don’t consider advocacy of a single payer an extreme position. I do view the insistence that it is nonnegotiable as strategically or tactically extreme, especially if no reform legislation results as a consequence.
