If you are a moderate conservative or a moderate liberal you are a moderate. The people who now claim to be conservatives and liberals more often than not are either far-right wing or far-left wing. The terms conservative and liberal don’t mean what they used to mean any more. So, what does it mean to be a moderate.
- Moderates base their decisions on facts, data, and science-based logic. In other words, we do things that make sense. Because we are near the center of the ideological spectrum our ideological beliefs are minimal from a political and economic standpoint. This makes us ideal as far running our country. Unfortunately, right now we have little say when it comes to determining the direction that the U.S. is heading in and this is something which needs to change.
- Moderates are strong believers in a democratic form of government in which the will of the people is paramount. After all, democracy is a moderate form of government and our Founding Fathers were moderates. When those in power have more extreme ideological beliefs to the right or the left, they have a tendency to drift to more authoritarian forms of government. Moderates are the key to making sure that the U.S. remains a strong democracy, something that is presently under more threat than at any time in recent history.
- The majority of Americans are Christians. But whether Christian or not, moderates believe, as the Founding Fathers did, in the separation of church and state. We also believe in the same principles outlined in the Bible: that compassion, tolerance, and fairness are good; greed, lying, and cheating are bad, and that we are stewards of God’s earth and he doesn’t want us to destroy his world (i.e. climate change). Most importantly, we are to love others as ourselves. There is no asterisk after this statement that leaves out certain people or groups. At the same time, we expect people to live their lives strategically.
Most moderates don’t agree enough with the Republicans or Democrats to want to join them. About 40% of Americans are Independents whereas only about 30% are either Republicans or Democrats. A 2018 Gallup poll found that less than 40% of Americans think that the two major political parties do an adequate job of representing them and almost 60% feel that a third major political party is needed.
Moderates have been marginalized for too long. Be proud to be a moderate, stand up and reach out to others who are the same. Volunteer and support the Alliance Party (theallianceparty.com). Remember that no matter who wins the presidential election this November, nothing will continue to get done because of gridlock. The federal debt, climate change, our disappearing middle class, and political corruption will continue to get worse. The formation of a third major party is the only mechanism capable of fixing this situation.