The Historical Task of the Left

One of the historical tasks of the left in the present period is to help hold the center. The defense of civil liberties and civil rights in the name of the constitution—this is a centrist politics. We should work closely with anyone who believes in civil discourse, who respects the truth, and who is ready to live with political and religious disagreement. Does she defend the social hierarchy? Does he think that free enterprise is the be-all and end-all of economic life? Are they more ready than we are to use force abroad? Those are arguments we need to have and should not give up, but we still have to join with people like these wherever we find them—so that the center holds. The survival of a vital center is also the precondition of an active left. We have to stand in the center and on the left at the same time. That may be complicated, but it is our historical task.