COMMENTARY | Polls show that as many as a third of all Americans identify themselves as moderate or centrist, yet the candidates for public office seem to be getting more extreme every election cycle.
I have always considered myself a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. I am in favor of balancing the budget and reducing spending, but not of gutting social services to do it. I also favor equal rights for same sex couples and basically staying out of other people's bedrooms.
Who's my candidate? You'd think the major parties would care, but all the fury centers around which contender can capture the evangelical Christian vote. What about those of us - of all races, genders and socioeconomic classes - who want to see lawmakers take a well-reasoned, balanced approach to solving the serious problems we face today?
I usually vote for some Democrats and some Republicans, but frankly, I find most of those vying for the Republican presidential nomination alarmingly inappropriate. Some of these guys can barely put a coherent thought together, and yes, Mr. Cain, it is necessary to have a thorough knowledge of international affairs to be president.
I shudder to think what would happen if some of these guys became president. But where are the good alternatives? It seems that most intelligent, rational and capable individuals don't want the job. Who can blame them?
The extremists play the part of the squeaky wheel, shouting down the voices of reason. It's not in the nature of moderates to be that loud. We're the mediators, the problem-solvers, the ones who try to facilitate positive solutions.
Question: How can you tell when things are running smoothly? Answer: You don't notice them.
I'd like to see one of the six House Republicans who refused to sign Grover Norquist's tax pledge run for President. How about Frank Wolf? He's one of the few Republicans to vote against making the Bush era tax cuts permanent. Here's a guy who understands that fiscal responsibility means considering both increases in taxes and decreases in spending to balance the budget. I don't agree with everything in his voting record, but it's better than most.
As the percentage of moderate voters grows, perhaps we will gain enough political clout to convince the major parties that the middle ground is where creative solutions spring to life. It's time they started to care what we think.
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