I'm surprised by how many right-wing authoritarians are choosing to call themselves centrist libertarians. Is it a conscious attempt to move the Overton window, or do they really think themselves centrist?

I took that political compass test and it has me a right leaning centrist. That’s mostly right I guess. Pro gun, pro choice, pro immigration control, pro free market, pro legalization of marijuana...

Ain't nothin' in the middle of the road but yellow lines and dead armadillos!

centrism's definition changes according to where center falls, which itself changes. i don't think i have ever been a centrist. my views have always been left of center. center has crept closer to me, and farther away, and back closer over the decades. i do not agree that centrism is even a political ideology in itself, much less that it is based on reason and pragmatism (as opposed to every other view?) because it has no position itself, changing as it does. it's like trying to define a median income without defining the range.

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Centrism is corporatism. If you look strictly at policies, the majority of Americans are liberal progressives. The left/right/centrist paradigm is nothing more than corporatist propaganda to leave people confused.

Beats me; I'm not sure where I fit into the political spectrum. I tend to consider what will happen in the next couple of decades to determine my position on an issue. I think most people consider their current situation to make such decisions. However, it takes years to get legislation passed; thus, decisions made for today will be impractical in the near future. For example, I've heard that 73 million jobs will be taken by automation by 2030; whereas, people are concerned about jobs today without planning for the future. To take care of 73 million out of work people cannot be legislated and funded easily or quickly. I'm a progressive, maybe, but not by the common definition.

No.

A centrist seems like someone who wants the best of both worlds while tying themselves to neither. There is no centrist party that has any political weight that I've ever heard of. I did check the Centrist Party website that claims 70% of the country is centrist but that 15% from the right and 15% from the left are allowed to control the political landscape. The only way to take that would be that they are in between the spectrum of Republicans and Democrats which these days would put you about 45 degrees right of center. The Republicans are very obviously bought and paid for, but the institutional corporate Democrats have been moving further to the right for years due to corporate contributions and our privately funded election system.

Categorizing my political views, I'm listed as a progressive. That group seems to be the furthest left with any legitimacy. The label has no real meaning to me but they seem to be the group that cares about data, statistics, and has a sense that (at least the US) should make leadership decisions by routing them first through values and compassion instead of greed and the bible.

I honestly don't care what methods are used to stop bombing innocents, ignoring the improverished, or destroying the planet in the drive to make rich people richer. If centrists think that reason and pragmatism will get us there I'm all for it, but I'd also point out that as a country (US again) we're more divided with ideology than any time in history including the Civil War. Personally I don't think that Centrists will or can do it and we're on the clock at this point.

I can't imagine a centrist garnering any support in a world where politics has divided the people up by their hot button issues so they can win seats by focusing on only that one item while voting against the best interests of their constituents. Republicans are pro-life, pro-guns, pro-religion, pro-Nascar, and anti-government oversight while Democrats are pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-religious freedom, and pro-government assistance. What are centrist views on items that literally control the party line of which most people vote?

I absolutely claim to be a centrist.
I also believe in moderation in most things. I generally don't like extremes.

Ask anyone whether own political ideology is based on "reason and pragmatism." All of them will tell you that it is.

Reason and pragmatism are tools. You need building materials, and the ability to perceive. That's where the large differences lie. Sure, everyone makes logical mistakes in thinking, and everyone has some amount of "dogmatism," but that really doesn't differentiate political positions.

AronRa provides some "liberal" history:

I'd say tht generally describes me. When I look back at Johnson's "Great Society" it was compromises that killed it and made it unworkable Although such a program today would need to be updated, as society has changed.

Maybe in your definition which is different than mine.As a centrist i value compromise and expect policies to modernize.