Editing Radical centrism (section)

=== Objections to policies, assumptions and attitudes ===
[[File:Robert Kuttner - Flickr image 3444876149.jpg|thumb|Liberal journalist [[Robert Kuttner]], a notable critic of radical centrism<ref name=Kuttner/>]]
Some 21st-century commentators argue that radical centrist policies are not substantially different from conventional centrist ideas.<ref name=Marx /><ref name=Kilgore>Kilgore, Ed (June 2004). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20240614101016/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Good+government%3A+time+to+stop+bashing+the+two-party+system-a0119444637 Good Government: Time to Stop Bashing the Two-Party System]". ''The Washington Monthly'', pp. 58–59.</ref> For example, US liberal journalist [[Robert Kuttner]] says there already is a radical centrist party –"It's called the Democrats".<ref name=Kuttner>Kuttner, Robert (19 February 2012). "[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner/americans-elect-third-party_b_1288110.html The Radical Center we Don't Need]". ''The Huffington Post''. Retrieved 6 February 2013.</ref> He faults [[Matthew Miller (journalist)|Matthew Miller]]'s version of radical centrism for offering "feeble" policy solutions and indulging in wishful thinking about the motives of the political right.<ref>Kuttner, Robert (20 November 2003). "[https://prospect.org/article/2-percent-illusion The 2-Percent Illusion]". ''[[The American Prospect]]''. Retrieved 30 January 2018.</ref> Progressive social theorist [[Richard Kahlenberg]] says that [[Ted Halstead]] and [[Michael Lind]]'s book ''The Radical Center'' is too skeptical about the virtues of labor unions and too ardent about the virtues of the market.<ref name=Kahlenberg>Kahlenberg, Richard (19 December 2001). "[http://prospect.org/article/radical-center Radical in the Center]". ''American Prospect'', vol. 12, no. 21, p.&nbsp;41. Print version d. 3 December 2001. Retrieved 6 February 2013.</ref>

Others contend that radical centrist policies lack clarity. For example, in 2001 journalist [[Eric Alterman]] said that the [[New America Foundation]] think tank was neither liberal nor progressive and did not know what it was.<ref name=Morin/>

''[[Politico]]'' reports that some think Spain's radical centrist [[Citizens (Spanish political party)|Ciudadanos]] (Citizens) party is "encouraged by the Spanish establishment" to undercut the radical left and preserve the status quo.<ref name=Brown/>

[[File:Thomas Friedman 2005 (5).jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Thomas Friedman]]'s columns supporting radical centrism are a favorite target for bloggers<ref name=Marx/>]]
By contrast, some observers claim that radical centrist ideas are too different from mainstream policies to be viable. [[Sam Tanenhaus]], the editor of ''[[The New York Times Book Review]]'', called the proposals in Halstead and Lind's book "utopian".<ref name=Tanenhaus/> According to Ed Kilgore, the policy director of the [[Democratic Leadership Council]], [[Mark Satin]]'s ''Radical Middle'' book "ultimately places him in the sturdy tradition of 'idealistic' American reformers who think smart and principled people unencumbered by political constraints can change everything".<ref name=Kilgore/>

Some have suggested that radical centrists may be making false assumptions about their effectiveness or appeal. In the United States, for example, political analyst [[James Joyner]] found that states adopting [[non-partisan]] [[redistricting commission]]s, a favorite radical-centrist proposal, have been no more fiscally responsible than states without such commissions.<ref>Joyner, James (24 March 2010). [http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/radical_center/ "Radical Center: Friedman's Fantasy"]. ''Outside the Beltway''. Retrieved 30 April 2013</ref> In 2017, ''[[The Economist]]'' wondered whether Latin Americans really wanted to hear the "hard truths" about their societies that some radical centrists were offering them.<ref name=Bello />

Radical centrist attitudes have also been criticized. For example, many bloggers have characterized [[Thomas Friedman]]'s columns on radical centrism as elitist and glib.<ref name=Marx/> In Australia, some think that Australian attorney [[Noel Pearson]] – long an advocate of radical centrism – is in fact a "polarizing partisan".<ref>Curchin, Katherine (December 2015). "Noel Pearson's Role in the Northern Territory Intervention: Radical Centrist or Polarising Partisan?" ''[[Australian Journal of Politics and History]]'', vol. 61, no. 4, pp.&nbsp;576–590.</ref> In 2012, conservative [[Knesset]] member [[Tzipi Hotovely]] criticized Israel's radical center for lacking such attributes as courage, decisiveness, and realistic thinking.<ref name=Hotovely />