Opinion: The political center keeps losing

But Germany shows how the left, too, can benefit from the decline of the establishment. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Tuesday, October 30, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [David Leonhardt] David Leonhardt Op-Ed Columnist First, President Trump is again trying to dominate the news with a plan to end the constitutionally enshrined right to citizenship for everyone born in this country. Don’t be hoodwinked. “Trump can’t terminate amendments via executive order,” writes [Sam Stein]( of the Daily Beast. “To respond as if he’s ending birthright citizenship because he told an outlet he is ending birthright citizenship is to allow him to be our assignment editor. It’s an obvious stunt.” The shrinking middle. The losses for the global political center — the so-called establishment — keep mounting. This week has brought two more examples, in Brazil and Germany. “The center is thinning out and the left and right are filling the void,” the Brookings Institution’s Alina Polyakova [told Vox’s Alex Ward](. For now, the right has benefited much more than the left. But Germany does offer some good news — and a potential lesson — for the left. First, Brazil: Jair Bolsonaro — a climate-denying, proudly misogynist defender of Brazil’s old military dictatorship — won the presidency easily on Sunday. With a right-leaning and fractious Congress and a friendly Supreme Court, Bolsonaro is unlikely to face many checks on his power, writes [Filipe Campante]( of Johns Hopkins University, in Bloomberg Opinion. As Trump’s presidency already has, Bolsonaro’s could worsen climate change, [Kathryn Hochstetler]( of the London School of Economics explains in Foreign Policy. As for Germany: The parties of both center-right and center-left parties fared poorly Sunday in regional elections in Hesse, a prosperous state that includes Frankfurt. That result endangered the chancellorship of Angela Merkel, because her governing coalition includes both the center-right party (her own) and the center-left party. They needed to combine in a grand coalition because both struggled in the last national election. In response, Merkel announced that she would not run for re-election as head of her center-right party — a separate position from the chancellorship — and that she would retire from politics in 2021. Many observers think the turmoil may lead to new elections and the end of her tenure well before 2021. Merkel’s departure is an opportunity for the political center, argues [Anna Sauerbrey]( of the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel in The Times. “Merkel’s stepping aside may prove the beginning of a revival of political discourse in Germany, and a much-needed resolution about where the country is headed.” Even more so, though, Germany’s politics point to an opportunity for the left. The party that finished third in Hesse — well ahead of the far right — was the Green Party. And Germany’s Greens have fared well in other recent elections, too. They are showing how a left-leaning message can resonate in these anti-establishment times — much as Bernie Sanders did in the 2016 Democratic primary. “The key point is that the Greens offer a certain outsider independence,” The Wall Street Journal’s [Joseph Sternberg]( writes. He continues: “Which raises the prospect that outsiderness, not nationalism or xenophobia, has been the main factor drawing voters to the [far right]. The Greens’ story tends to support a theory that fringe politics is more about the politics than about the fringe — that voters care more about taking a sledgehammer to ossified political systems than about the particular views of the politicians swinging the hammer.” Still, the decline of the center brings huge risks. “Since the end of World War II, liberal democratic ideas have been hegemonic,” Yascha Mounk of Harvard [told Newsweek’s Cristina Maza](. The decline of the political center means “we may be approaching a tipping point at which democratic ideas are no longer sufficiently popular, and that could have big consequences.” In The Times. My colleague [Michelle Alexander]( writes about using reincarnation to think about climate change, and [Nick Kristof]( continues his work on gun safety by writing about the N.R.A. in the wake of Pittsburgh. The full Opinion report from The Times follows. [Trump Can’t Unite Us. Can Anyone?]( [President Trump at an event in Indiana on Saturday.]( President Trump at an event in Indiana on Saturday. Doug Mills/The New York Times By FRANK BRUNI AND ROSS DOUTHAT After far-right terrorist attacks, the president sticks to what he does best: polarize. From Our Columnists [Hate Is on the Ballot Next Week]( By PAUL KRUGMAN Don’t let the whataboutists and bothsiders tell you it isn’t. [It’s Time to Talk About the N.R.A.]( By NICHOLAS KRISTOF Saving lives is not just about changing laws, but also about defanging the N.R.A. [We Can Replace Them]( By MICHELLE GOLDBERG In Georgia, a chance to rebuke white nationalism [The New Cold War]( By DAVID BROOKS The forces of division and the forces of connection. [What if We’re All Coming Back?]( By MICHELLE ALEXANDER The prospect of being reborn as a poor person in a world ravaged by climate change could lead us to very different political decisions. [In Merkel, Europe Loses a Leader]( [Angela Merkel announced Monday that she would not seek re-election as Germany’s chancellor.]( Angela Merkel announced Monday that she would not seek re-election as Germany’s chancellor. Sean Gallup/Getty Images By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Compassionate when hearts grew cold, committed to unity when others abandoned it. Contributing Op-Ed Writer [Merkel’s Out. Now What?]( By ANNA SAUERBREY Her retreat from politics could give Germany a chance to re-establish its political center. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT [What’s Wrong With Germany’s Social Democrats?]( By JOCHEN BITTNER The party should be embracing the challenge of economic inequality. Instead, it’s shrinking away. Contributing Op-Ed Writer [A Partner We Can’t Depend On]( By SUSAN E. RICE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia long ago revealed his true character in impulsive and vicious actions. Contributing Op-Ed Writer [The Economy Is Great, Really, for Now]( By RUCHIR SHARMA The excesses that could end a boom decade for the American economy are coming into view. Listen to [“The Argument” podcast]( every Thursday morning, with Ross Douthat, Michelle Goldberg and David Leonhardt. ADVERTISEMENT LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here. We Want To Hear From You [Young Americans, What Issues Are Driving You to Vote Next Tuesday?]( Student debt? Guns? Potholes? Traffic? #MeToo? Let us know. More in Opinion [Democrats, Don’t Take Native American Voters for Granted]( By TRISTAN AHTONE The party ignored voter suppression in Indian Country until a Senate seat in North Dakota was at risk. [Why Squirrel Hill Is a Target for White Supremacists]( By ANDRE PERRY As a black boy growing up in Pittsburgh, I always felt welcome in Squirrel Hill. White nationalists hate the inclusion and diversity that it represents. 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[Brazil’s Shift to Dictatorship]( By PATRICK CHAPPATTE Will the election of Jair Bolsonaro send the country back in time? [Best Way to Fight Climate Change? Put an Honest Price on Carbon]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Washington State voters will decide next week whether to impose a fee on carbon emissions. We hope they do. ADVERTISEMENT SIGN UP FOR THE OP-DOCS NEWSLETTER Find out about new [Op-Docs]( read discussions with filmmakers and learn more about upcoming events. letters [The Aftershocks of an Anti-Semitic Act]( In response to the Pittsburgh shooting, readers discuss anti-Semitism, guns, armed guards and President Trump. HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [leonhardt@nytimes.com](mailto:leonhardt@nytimes.com?subject=Opinion%20Today%20Newsletter%20Feedback). 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