** ...more pragmatic & sane than far left ...**
I live in Ithaca... the Retirement home for HIPPIES.
The liberals in this town (most of it) makes San Francisco seem SANE. These LIBS had a THANK YOU Demonstration for Congressman Maurice Hinchey for Co-sponsoring another IMPEACH BUSH BILL. You might want to rethink your definition of Pragmatism.
You are right about Ithaca. It is much farther left than NYC. People who would be fringe left in the NYC area are normal in Ithaca.