David Schraub published a very interesting post earlier today called “Am I A Moderate”.
Moderation… what is moderation? Does it mean that one has to truly be ‘centrist’ on all issues? Does it mean that one is not allowed to be passionate about certain specific subjects? Or is there something else to it.
My view on this, is one mostly equal to that of Paul Silver (who truly is a great addition to The Moderate Voice by the way). We were talking about this very subject, shortly, in an e-mail exchange yesterday I believe.
What makes ‘moderates’, moderate? The process through which one comes to one’s conclusions. Moderates do not have to agree on everything. Actually I would say that if there is one specific group in which dissent must not just be accepted but even encouraged, it is moderates. Moderates have to think for themselves, moderates have to realize that both ‘sides’ of the political equation are wrong sometimes and that both have valid points. Moderates have to be, as Paul called it, pragmatic. It is about finding solutions for problems, not about partisanship.
To answer David’s question; am I a moderate? my answer is; yes I think I am and I think that all bloggers here at TMV are. David and Michael Stickings are far more liberal than I am. I am right of center, not center, not left of center, but I lean towards American conservatism. As most of you will have noticed by now, I am quite idealistic. However, my idealism is always ‘softened’ by pragmatism and realism. Besides that, I always try to keep an open mind. I do not support traditional conservative views blindlessly, I think about subjects myself and change my opinion when I am convinced that my earlier opinion was wrong (Iraq). Fiscal conservative, socially liberal… personally conservative. What’s that in terms of moderation?
And if all else fails… I like to remember the words a good friend spoke to me a short while ago: perhaps my independence makes up for a possible lack of moderation…
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