f you want to see more, see an old book review I wrote in Law and Liberty.
lawliberty.org/book-review/...

To survive in modern politics, the center must rediscover its soul: moral, emotional, and philosophical grounding that resonates with voters and inspires loyalty, not just rational agreement. That soul can be found in harmony.

Renewal requires more than compromise. The center must ask: who are we for? What moral purpose guides our choices? Without answering this, it remains empty and inert.

Harmony might sound soft, but it resonates. After chaos or division, people long for stability and normalcy. A center grounded in these ideals can move hearts more than policy expertise ever will.

History shows the center can have a soul. Cicero preached civic harmony, Eisenhower promoted stability and balance. Both offered moral grounding and emotional connection, not just technocratic solutions.

That’s the central problem: centrism is soulless. Competence and compromise can’t compete with movements offering narratives of justice, restoration, or grievance. People follow stories, not spreadsheets.

Defenders of centrism have spent hours and hundreds of pages trying to show its strengths. They show centrism as a procedural stance: balance, negotiation, managing tension. But voters don’t respond to process alone; they crave meaning, identity, and moral vision.

This story is not unique to France, it happens all over the world. Populists thrive by rejecting compromise outright. They tap anger, nostalgia, and identity, making rational, technocratic centrism look tepid and detached, no matter its expertise or intent.

French President Emmanuel Macron once declared the “end of French politics as we know it,” hoping centrism could replace entrenched left vs. right conflict. Years later, his vision is battered, showing that moderation alone rarely excites voters.