Discussing his book, “The Centrist Manifesto,” in a lecture Saturday morning, economics and public policy professor Charles Wheelan ’88 outlined his idea for a new political party that would integrate the best ideas from Democrats and Republicans. The Centrist Party aims to appeal to the 60 percent Americans who expressed in a recent Gallup poll that they would support a third party.
The party would embrace Democratic Party ideals that government regulation is necessary for successful market functioning, citing nations in the developing world that lack infrastructure and courts of law as evidence for the need for government control.The party would adopt the Democrats’ commitment to social justice and environmental protection. Ideas drawn from the Republican Party include valuing wealth creation and fiscal responsibility.
The party aims to win seats in the Senate. Due to the electoral college system, a Centrist gaining the presidency would be virtually impossible, Wheelan said, pointing to gerrymandering and numerous incumbents as roadblocks to seats in the House of Representatives.
Wheelan said it would be possible for the Centrist Party to win enough Senate seats to influence policy. Only 34 percent of the vote would be needed to win a Senate seat, and there are 22 states in the U.S. that have elected officials from opposing parties, indicative of a more moderate constituency.
The Centrist movement also could serve as an umbrella organization for moderate groups including No Labels and Third Way. The movement would endorse moderate Democrats and Republicans in places without a Centrist candidate.
Audience members, composed almost exclusively of alumni, inquired about possible candidates in the party. Wheelan said current Democrats or Republicans who are frustrated with their party and want to defect could be strong contenders.
As the current public face of the Centrist movement, Wheelan has given numerous talks and participated in fundraisers. While many members of the Dartmouth community are involved in the movement alongside Wheelan, Saturday’s event marked his first formal presentation on the subject at the College.
“It’s just to plant the seed among this very influential group,” Wheelan said. “They have a stake and obligation in changing our political future. I have little respect for talented people like Dartmouth alums if they aren’t willing to engage in discussion.”
Wheelan became involved in politics when he realized that he had too many opinions to remain solely on the academic side of the topic.
“If you spend enough time in policy, you realize that politics is how policy happens,” Wheelan said.
While Wheelan was working in Chicago, former U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel, currently Chicago mayor, was unexpectedly appointed to serve as Obama’s chief of staff in 2008, leaving an open seat in the House. Wheelan ran as a Democrat in the special election. His political views, however, were not liberal enough to win the Democratic primary, giving rise to the idea for the new party.
While the Centrist view aligns with the opinions of many Americans, Wheelan recognizes the difficulty of convincing people to act on their ideals and not accept the failures of the political system at the moment.
“People start to think on paper this kind of makes sense,” Wheelan said. “There’s a difference between walking out and thinking this is a cool idea and thinking I actually want to do something about this. About one in 50 people will actually be fired up enough to do something.”
Tiffany Wang ’17 attended the lecture to learn more about Wheelan, whom she heard about from upperclassmen.
“I enjoyed the delivery, it was logical, clear thinking and convincing,” Wang said. “It was a compelling concept since it aligns with what so many Americans want, but I’d have to do more research.”
