No reason you should be. Time and time again, the center ground is stagnant far too long and that stagnation allows for a rising tide of resentment politics to gain enough energy to crest.

It's a weird firm of political laziness centered around self centeredness.

You mentioned the rust belt here in the US. Capitalism and banking deregulation stole their farms and destroyed their livelihood. So it's not that capitalism hasn't done anything for them, it's that capitalism impacted them negatively and then ducked accountability by blaming 'the other'

That political laziness kept and is keeping them from looking after their own interests. That political laziness creates the environment of being taken advantage of by politicians.

And we see it time and time again from the center ground. When it comes down to it, the center ground are fence sitters. They'll sit and watch the political show and they always have an opinion, but they won't ever stick their necks out or right a wrong for someone else. If it doesn't affect them directly, it doesn't exist. They're more than happy to reap the benefits of those trying to make things politically better for everyone or right wrongs though.