Do We Need A Center Party?

Many red states are basically lost causes for Democrats. But, it ought to be possible to flip Ohio and Florida at least, and probably Iowa and Missouri too.

The U.S. could use viable third parties (when and if the election laws were redesigned to require a majority of the vote to win in single district races without a runoff - Georgia, Florida and Louisiana, for example, already do).

But, the greatest need for one isn't a need for a progressive third-parties to the left of the Democratic party.

Instead, more than anything, the U.S. needs a centrist third parties (tailored on a state by state basis to the local political environment) contesting state and local elections in red states. In those states, Anglo white voters overwhelmingly reject the Democratic party because it is liberal, but also aren't necessarily fond of the craziness and extremism in the Republican party.

What Would A Center Party Look Like?

A "center" party is, almost by definition, defined by not sharing positions in the political parties to its left and to its right that it views as too liberal and too conservative. (To be clear, I wouldn't be a member of such a party).

Some of the things that a center party might stand for might include:

Culture Wars

* Support encouraging, but not requiring, recital of the Pledge of Allegiance.

* Oppose teaching creationism and religion in schools.

* Oppose efforts to treat the United States as a "Christian nation."

* Oppose Confederate symbolism.

* Support anti-discrimination laws and some affirmative action.

* Support fighting bias against poor whites (e.g. Appalachians)
* Provide non-English government documents only on request when feasible.

Sex and Abortion and Families

* Oppose abstinence only sex education.

* Oppose laws that would potentially criminalize hormonal birth control and IUDs.

* Support free access to long term birth control for low income women and teen parents.

* Support pretty much the status quo on abortion (legal in most cases with considerable regulation).

* Support medical stem cell research.
* Favor having children while married as a matter of public policy.
* Subsidize marriage counseling.

Criminal Justice and Gun Control

* Support reasonable, targeted gun regulations, while supporting a right to private gun ownership.

* Support the death penalty in exceptional cases, but with adequate funding for defense counsel.

* Support mandatory minimum sentences for serious violent crimes and sex offenses.

* Support removing mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses.

* Support fully legalizing medical marijuana and decriminalizing possession of small amounts of pot.

* Support harm reduction programs related to drug use, and medicine based drug treatment.

* Oppose drug legalization.

* Strong legislation and actions to discourage political corruption.

* Support making it easier to fire law enforcement officers who engage in improper conduct.
* Support shorter sentences for non-violent offenders.
* Better fund re-entry programs for newly released prisoners.

 Social Safety Net and Public Spending

* Support raising sufficient revenues to adequately maintain roads and bridges.

* Support more generous and easy to obtain unemployment insurance.
* Prefer categorical welfare programs (e.g. Social Security and Medicare) to means tested ones.
* Reduce incentives not to marry in connection with means tested welfare.

* Support universal health care coverage, but not a single payer healthcare system.

* Support non-profit charter schools, but not private school vouchers or for profit institutions.

* Support funding to pay national average compensation to teachers.
* Support and promote apprenticeships and trade schools.

* Increase need based scholarship funding for higher education, but not free tuition.

Business Regulation and Environment

* Support cost-benefit analysis of regulations.
* Support improving funding of agencies where "red tape" is a barrier to businesses.
* Support more funding for judges and the courts to speed up civil litigation.
* Create incentives to favor, but don't mandate renewable energy production.
* Actively work to reduce excessive provider prices for publicly funded health care programs.
* Allow fracking in rural areas but not urban areas.
* Relax legal restrictions on crowd funding for businesses.
* Reduce paper privacy paperwork that no one ever reads.
* Reduce paper securities disclosures that no one ever reads.
* Oppose rent control.

Immigration

* Favor more work related legal immigration and less remote family relation legal immigration.
* Favor humane treatment of asylum seekers.
* Enact a statute of limitations from entry on deportations.

International Relations

* Oppose tariffs.
* Oppose war with Iran.
* Oppose boycotting Israel.
* Reduce foreign aid to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
* Oppose a "Muslim ban".