Mr. Chiu is popular and smart, with a firm grasp of policy issues and a centrist's disposition; Mr. Peskin has been known to refer to him jokingly as "the Chinese Obama," aides say.
John Ahern, partner at law firm Jones Day, agreed: "Andrew is more centrist than his predecessor, Tracey McDermott, so 'bank bashing' will likely give way to constructive regulatory oversight of the industry on his watch".
In the 1990s a centrist government offloaded energy, telecoms and mining firms.
Of 10 current members on the committee, two are openly concerned about inflationary risks; three, now including Mr. Bullard, are somewhat worried about deflation; and five centrists, including Mr. Bernanke, have not expressed a firm leaning either way.
Boris Makarenko, deputy director of the Center for Political Technology, a consulting firm, said today that the new government would be more centrist, with the Communists as a "junior partner," adding, "This is a new role for the Communists".
Penn's firm polls for AOL as well as Microsoft and for the centrist Democratic Leadership Council as well as the Democratic National Committee.
Mrs Pelosi has a firm grip over her caucus; if anything, it is the centrists who tend to rebel, not the liberal fringe.
Shinui, a secular, centrist party that has also joined the government, is a firm opponent of subsidies for the religious.
He drew some criticism from some progressives for avoiding firm stances on pocketbook issues like student debt relief in favor of centrist bromides about deficit reduction and "consolidat[ing] federal data centers".
With most of the Tea Party candidates holding firm, tensions are suddenly bursting out among the much smaller group of more centrist House Republicans.
