Being a moderate is over-rated

Once again another post that won't make me very many friends but it is worth considering.

Professional wrestler turned Governor of Nebraska Jesse Ventura once stated that

"you have the far left at 15 percent, you have the far right at 15 percent, and there's 70 percent of us in the center."

While I cannot testify as to whether or not Jesse Ventura was a moderate, ( The only thing I know for sure, is that he was moderately insane) there is some credence to this statement. Being a moderate, or as some call it an independent, is in. What's more fashionable then to say "I am fed up with the way that government has been run as of this point by both parties and consider myself a moderate?"

The one thing that you hear most moderates complain from is that they are not represented in the media. That statement is more or less correct. You have your Olbermans and your Moores on the far left and your Hannitys and your Becks on the far right. The problem, as moderates see it, is that there is no representation for this huge middle. Moderates assume that with no alternative left, those who are right leaning centrists are forced towards Fox and those with even the slightest liberal tendency are forced to Msnbc. 

This prognosis, while it makes every moderate as happy as a clam, fails to take into account one of the key problem with moderates in America. The problem is, on balance, moderates don't care. This is a question worth asking yourself if you consider yourself a moderate. Do you care about politics?  Every government teacher I ever had talked about the true silent majority of centrism and yet fail to take into account this key point. You want proof? Ask any self-proclaimed moderate whether they voted in the midterm election. Chances are they will say no. The phrase "party faithful" wasn't created out of thin air, they are the group that volunteers, votes, and donates. Not to say that there are civic minded moderates, in fact a friend of mine is exactly that. These people however are the true minority of the silent majority. Why do politicians hold rallies? Why do they go on talk shows that the middle don't watch? Its because in reality while Americans are on a bell curve politically, the graph is bimodal when it comes to civic activity.

Side note:

Some people consider me to be righter than anyone when it comes to politics. While I am fiscally conservative near the point of economic anarchy, I consider myself a social moderate. Obviously I do not set my point of reference for moderacy to be the Bay Area, so all you nay-sayers out there take a minute and consider the following. 

Liberals want to maintain abortion rights to all women on the federal level. Conservatives wish to illegalize abortion at the federal level. My belief is that abortion should be handled at the level of the state with the approval of the citizenry. The reason I am not farther left is because I believe abortion is unjustified killing. The reason I am not farther right is because I believe that states have the right to legislate murder, especially since murder is typically handled by the state anyways.

:Liberals want to grant the right of marriage to every gay couple. Conservatives want an amendment to the US constitution legislating marriage to be between a man and a woman. I on the other hand subscribe to the belief that this too should be decided on the state level with consent from the governed. Mind you I am for civil Unions, and would support attempts to increase rights for gay couples in such unions, however the term marriage has no real purpose for gays. If marriage was a natural right then I would reconsider my view, however there is no reason to believe so. (Note- I know that the Supreme court determined marriage to be such a right but they were dead wrong, and you can quote me on that.) If a couple has a wedding, registers with California as a domestic partnership, they have almost all of the same rights that a married couple has. If the left were to push for an increase in those rights, I would not provide resistance.

Its rather funny how I spend all this time bashing moderates, and then claim to be one near the end. C'est la vie!

Side side note: 

Never use French again.