"Nobody contests that the nation is 'center right'. . ."

Depending on how the next couple of years go, I think that I might be inclined to contest that notion, and I doubt I'll be alone.

The last time a Democratic President presided over a Democratic Congress was during the first two years of the Clinton Administration, from 1992 to 1994. Even with one party rule, the closest liberals came to an actual policy victory was "Don't ask, don't tell." The rest of the Democratic achievements in that time were profoundly centrist, if not a bit to the right: passing the Budget Reconciliation Act, and geting the NAFTA treaty ratified. That was about as far to the left as respectable policy positions could go, back then. . .because America was, at the time, a "center-right" nation.

In a "center-right" nation, there's no room for mainstream discussion of blatantly liberal policy ideas like "card check," government-run health insurance programs, climate change legislation, caps on executive compensation, consumer protection legislation, and tighter regulations on (for starters) the financial and insurance sectors of the economy. It's even hard to imagine these discussions taking place in a "center-center" nation.

Depending on what happens in the next couple of election cycles, I think it's likely that conservatives may have to confront the possibility that America has passed some sort of tipping point. . .and become a "center-left" nation.