The Squishy Center

This picture is the personification of a phenomenon I refer to as the squishy center. No, I’m not talking about the middle of a Hostess cake treat or candy bar or 80s fad chewing gum. I am referring to about 50% of the American public who freely fluctuate on most items on the U.S. political menu. The squishy center is made up of a fluid, fickle people who seem to painstakingly agonize over which side of an issue to support. Once it seems they have made a decision of what to back, they typically begin to engage in more wavering sometimes even after the issue has been codified into law.

To see how the squishy center behaves, we can track the popularity of gay civil unions for a span of time in 2003. According to Gallup, support for civil unions in May of that year was at 49%. There had been an almost steady increase in support since 2000. Between May 2003 and August 2003 gay marriage had been legalized in parts of Canada, the Episcopal Church elected a gay bishop, and the Supreme Court said it was unconstitutional to make laws against doing anal (for everyone, not just gay people). By August, support for civil unions had dropped to 37%.

The convergence of these events proved to be too much gay. The proportion of the squishy center that had oozed itself into the “for” column for civil unions oozed back to the “against” or “not sure” categories until the hullabaloo died down. One would think that all of the other news would have encouraged anyone dipping their toes into the waters of this forward-moving stream. It would have accept the right-wing slander squad had done an adequate job of instilling the “floodgate” philosophy that once you support one gay thing the floodgates of the gay agenda will open and it will be your fault.

From that point to now, it has been a losing battle for the conservative regarding civil unions. The squishy center’s support began to cement when the hair of children failed to fall out and cows failed to pass curdled milk as a result of homos legally shacking up. As for the floodgates, the only thing they seemed to be holding back was news that Ricky Martin and that kid from “American Idol” were gay which we already knew. To date we have gone from civil unionery being an issue to having it become a non-issue as it has been replaced by the currently controversial gay marriage which will eventually become a non-issue within the next seven years.

Just as the squishy center settles as they find comfort with an issue, their support will fade once it is apparent things are not going well. Just prior to the Iraq invasion of 2003, the Squishy Center was glopping to and fro, wanting to find a way to support the Bush Administration, but only finding itself able to do so with conditions; we should invade Iraq after giving the weapons inspectors a month to finish their job, only after we have the support of the U.N., only if it is not an opportunity for a company Dick Cheney has worked for to bilk taxpayers, etc.

Following the outbreak of the war, any and all reservations the squishy center had were chucked aside. The U.S. kicked ass at the outset of the invasion therefore it must have been a good idea so thought the squishy center. 79% of Americans thought the war was justified, for a while. By August 2004, 67% of Americans believed the U.S. went to war based on the wrong information yet in November the squishy center pulled through to reelect George W. Bush.

Backing Bush was a signature marker of the squishy center’s tendency to err on the side of the Establishment. As an orderly group, obedience is a strong component of their value system. The Establishment represents all of the things they were taught to trust and respect growing up. But just as they crave the approval of the Establishment, they don’t want to be judged poorly by history. They don’t want to be the anti-suffragists, the segregationists, the Lindberghs, and in 5 years from now they won’t want to have been the death panelers. At the same time, they don’t want to suffer the sting of being caught outside of the mainstream, just like in high school.

Barack Obama has based his priorities on what he knows of the Squishy Center. While he is criticized (for everything including) ramming through health care while he should have been focused on the economy, Obama knew that waiting to pass health care would only give Establishment opponents such as the insurance industry and right-wing opponents such as the Death Panelers more time to infect the brains of the squishy center. He would have less support for his agenda as more time passed. As it was, though Obama won the legislative debate, but he lost the public debate in the immediate aftermath. The opponents effectively placed enough doubts in the minds of the squishy center that opinion had become tilted against what the American voter including a good proportion of the squishy center had actually voted for in November 2008.

Though it’s hardly a watershed, 5% fewer people are “strongly opposed” to the health care legislation now than they were when it was passed. Health care and most other issues usually have a hardened core on the pro side and on the counter side. It can roughly be said that 25% of people initially lined up against the Iraq War, and for civil unions, and for health care reform, while another 25% lined up in lockstep behind the Iraq War, against civil unions (now gay marriage), and against healthcare reform. The squishy center represents about 50% of the people, non-scientifically speaking. Modern politics is about the pursuit of the squishy center. It’s why Republicans slander gays, and make up false weapons claims, and conjure up the notion of death panels. It is not to scare their own rock-ribbed 25% who are already scared into the Republican corner; it is to scare enough of the squishy center just long enough to pull a fast one. I say just long enough because if you have to tell such egregious lies about anything, you will eventually be found out. The squishy center always finds out they’ve been had by the right sooner or later. While they won’t go down in history as crusaders for justice, at least they won’t be remembered as the obstructionists.

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