Will the Democrats reject "centrism"?

Democrats fear that voter turnout will be low in 2012 due to dissatisfaction with President Obama’s policies and due to a feeling that change is hopeless.

If Democrats want progressives’ votes and help, they should stand up to the corrupt, corporatist Democrats by openly criticizing centrists such as President Obama and Governor Gregoire, and by pressuring centrist legislators to mend their ways.

Otherwise, millions of voters (especially progressives) will distrust the Democrats and will either not turn up to vote or will vote third party. Democrats can’t expect progressives to “place nice” and forget and forgive, even if the Republicans are far worse (which they are, especially on women’s rights and taxation). Democrats can’t put the genie of centrism back in the bottle.

This battle may tear apart the Democratic Party, but who wants to support a compromised Democratic Party that aides Republicans? Many of my progressive friends tell me that you can’t trust the Democrats. But I see no viable alternative, so I want progressives to take over the party, the way religious conservatives and Teabaggers took over the GOP.

Most of the party activists and PCOs I know in Washington State are quite progressive, but they’re fearful of criticizing centrist Dems, lest they aid the Republicans.

Perhaps things will get so bad that the voters will stop voting Republican. Already the Republicans seem to have overreached, for example in Wisconsin. A sad hope.