Who do you call a liberal? A taxonomy of the Democratic Party. – Media Nation

I’m thinking about what it means to say that Kamala Harris has united the warring factions of the Democratic Party. The media tends to refer to those on the left as “liberals” and “progressives,” as if those terms were interchangeable. But they are not.

I will not try to tease out the various positions that define the factions. Instead, I will try to figure out who is in which camp. This is unscientific to say the least, but:

• Liberals. Also known as the center-left. This is where most of the party is today, and where it has been for most of its history since FDR. Leading role models: Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.

• Progressives. The left, which I will arbitrarily define as Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Bernie Sanders would be mentioned here if he were actually a Democrat.

• Centrists. This is a tricky one now. Bill Clinton, for sure. Joe Manchin? Does anyone know if he’s still a Democrat? It’s tempting to call him a conservative, but he votes with President Biden most of the time. Barack Obama governed as a centrist, but I’m not sure if that was his preference or if he was just playing the cards he was dealt.

What unites them all, incredibly, is not just support for Harris, but genuine enthusiasm and excitement.