Tactical Democrats

Kevin Drum has a post up claiming Dems moved to the left because it became more politically viable.  Obama and both Clintons were tactical centrists in this view.  They were always in favor of more left wing policies, but were more conservative in public because of perceived tactical advantage.  Here's my response:

I'm with Kevin, but only up to a point. The tactical centrists were clearly losing as 2016 rolled around. Republicans had pretty much taken over all branches of government, federal and state. So the smart Democrats realized that they needed better tactics which happened to align with better policies in some instances. 

But, there were and are honest differences of opinion with regard to policy. Many centrists were especially were fixated on fiscal responsibility.  This was a tactical mistake in addition to being a policy mistake, IMO. The fiscal doves have been proven right, and thus many Dem centrists are letting go of fiscal responsibility in favor of things like Medicare for all.  

On the other hand,  many centrists are more hawkish in supporting American values and economic preferences in foreign affairs. With the renewal of the Cold War, many centrist Dems are moving to the right on foreign policy, and this remains a real split within the Democratic party.

In the big picture, as others have said here before me, the Democrats need a vision that is both morally sound and tactically effective. You can't have one without the other.