[ClearCase_guy]

The moderates ran the Democratic Party from 1960 to 1972. Then the left took over, ruling until 1992 — a period in which the party controlled the White House for only four out of 20 years, when Jimmy Carter, a moderate southerner, was president. Capitalizing on their failures, the centrists regained ascendancy in 1992 with the nomination of Bill Clinton.

So, McGovern in 1972 was a moderate?
Jimmy Carter in 1976 was a moderate?
Mondale was a screaming leftist?
Dukakis was a screaming leftist?
Bill Clinton was a centrist?

Morris is just talking without making sense.

[Hawkeye's Girl]

Nah, the difference is Clinton pretended to be a centrist while Dean doesn't even bother. That's why regular people voted for Clinton and won't vote for Dean.

[gridlock]

It's easy to decode Morris if you remember this simple rule: Democrats who are elected are Moderates. Democrats who fail are Leftists. It's a performanced-based definition.

Thus while Morris would say that Jimmy Carter won because he was a Moderate, in reality Morris labels Jimmy Carter as a Moderate simply because he won. Similarly, Morris considers the far more centrist Dukakis a Lefty only because Dukakis lost.

Morris' other rule, which makes about as much sense, is that a woman's most attractive feature is her feet...