Thread by @JeffRybak

Recently, I said it was wrong to judge any political party by their worst actors, and by that standard we are all terrible. One excellent reply was that we should judge every political party by how they respond to their worst actors. I'd like to expand on that. #cdnpoli 1/12

In its best incarnation, the NDP and the broad left promote fairness, equality, and inclusion. I respect their core values immensely. They lose me when they allow the impractical fringes of their party to dominate - the folks who simply can't live in the real world. #cdnpoli 2/12

The left absolutely has to call out its crazies more often - the ones who say "you're with us on every issue or else you represent everything that's wrong with the world." That attitude gets in the way of so much good, and so many things we could otherwise agree on. #cdnpoli 3/12

Conservatives and the broad right have a lot of good to offer also. They do. Most essentially, they say the lessons of the past and the values our grandparents stood for still matter. And not every new idea from last week is necessarily better. We need that check. #cdnpoli 4/12

At their worst the right becomes a reflexive resistance to all progress and change, and even an appeal to some imagined past where greater authority imposed stability and safety. Obviously this gets toxic fast, and the responsible right should be ready to say so. #cdnpoli 5/12

Now let me take on the center. Because this is the real motive behind my multi-post. The political center and the Liberal Party love to call out the demons on the left and right and pretend we have none of our own. But it isn't true. They're hiding in plain sight. #cdnpoli 6/12

The political center where the Liberal Party lives (I prefer the center-left, but that's me) isn't plagued by extremism or impracticality. At its best, it's progressive and practical, with a nod to the lessons of the past but also an eye on the future. #cdnpoli 7/12

At its worst, the political center is utterly devoid of principle. Practicality and opportunism appear almost identical, unless motive is taken into account. And it's impossible to deny that the practical, apparently reasonable center is the easiest brand to sell. #cdnpoli 8/12

Whatever else you can say about the left and the right - they believe in something. There's a lot to believe in with centrist politics. But it's also the same space that attracts empty, soulless political actors who just want the easiest path to power and authority. #cdnpoli 9/12

Everyone on the left and right needs to call out their worst actors more often. And the Liberal Party needs to do so too. It isn't easy to give away points, when it seems like we're stuck on teams we didn't choose for ourselves. But it doesn't have to be this way. #cdnpoli 10/12

I believe in practical, progressive politics. That's an expression of my values - not an opportunity I've spotted. Any so-called Liberal - political operative, elected official, or other - who sees these politics as a means to an end just isn't an ally of mine. #cdnpoli 11/12

The worst actors in centrist politics aren't extremists. In fact, they are defined by their willingness to compromise any value or belief in pursuit of power. They'll pretend it's a virtue, but in many ways it's the worst sin of all. #cdnpoli 12/12