Report: Centrist Democrats worry Hillary moving too far left

The Hill is reporting that centrist Democrats grow increasingly worried that Hillary Clinton’s lurch to the left, apparently a bid to address criticism by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and to keep rival Sen. Bernie Sanders at bay, will hurt the overall Democratic ticket in 2016.

While Clinton campaigned for the presidency in 2008 as a moderate on domestic issues with a more aggressive foreign policy stance than Barack Obama, she is now in sync or to the left of the president on several matters of great importance to the party’s liberal base: a $15 hourly minimum wage, same-sex marriage as a constitutional right, shielding millions of illegal immigrants from deportation, automatic voter registration, and reforms in the criminal justice system.

The biggest concern is that if Clinton abandons a 50-state strategy and ignores certain Red States, particularly in the South, Democratic candidates for state legislatures will take a beating in down-ballot contests next year.

Here’s how The Hill summarizes the situation:

“Red State Democrats in Congress don’t want Clinton to lose sight of a broadly appealing economic message that can win over white working-class voters who have deserted the party in droves recently.

“‘It’s important that she has an economic platform that people can get on board with regardless of what state they live in,’ said Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.), the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. ‘Be everywhere — Montana, Missouri, everywhere.’

“Centrist Democrats say Clinton should broaden, not narrow, her approach.

“‘I don’t think you write anything off. You show that you’re not afraid and you show the ability to go into an area, and it will help lift spirits,’ said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). ‘I always do visit all 55 counties in my state. So when I ran statewide, I didn’t give up on certain counties and never visited. So you don’t give up on anybody.’”