Thread: Has the Moderate Voice Been Lost?

There was Sarah Palin and the Tea Party. There was Obama and the Congress. People with the most outrageous voice serving to the far side of either spectrum seem to be the only ones heard on the national scale. I'm considerably to the left, i'll admit that. But, i'm not pro-choice, i'm against stupid spending form both sides of the congress. But i feel that the moderate voice is drowned out. If your not to the far of either side, your not in. Am i the only one who thinks there's something wrong?

That is an American view, sometimes from outside it would appear that there is only the extreme right and the very extreme right in American politics.

I know about the concept of a silent majority, and I think there is some of that at play, but the vocal minority, on both sides, has become more vocal, to the point of idiocy.

As far as the radical right is concerned, I'm torn between saying they get too little and too much, but hey that's just me. I would be happy if the people who worked for think-tanks didn't pass as non-partisan experts, and the domestic and foreign business class (who generally favor the radical right as opposed to the left) took it on the chin every now and then, no matter our government's opinion of them. We're a democracy right? Let's vote on it.

Open a newspaper and count the anti-war voices. Count the women. Count the racial minorities. Look for Ralph Nader in the next debate. Where is the left? If that's your spectrum, the far left isn't too far from the right at all. So Richard Smith has the right idea.

Want to know what the true far left thinks? Take, say, anarcho-communists. They consider the left-right distinction bourgeois, since it originated in the French parliament. Not being a communist myself I take that with a grain of salt. But just saying, the far left really only gets coverage when it commits a terrorist act or threatens to gain "too much" power (and even then the coverage is warped in their opponents' favor), which is probably why they call it "propaganda of the deed." I agree they get filtered out, but I advocate peaceful protest.

The voices that seem to really get through are the petty ones. That's just how the game works. Even on the left, with institutions that do good work, you'll very rarely hear things generally associated with radical leftists like critiques of imperialism and political hegemony. They discuss important topics but they generally follow the leads of the big media companies. They're a little more brave than them in leaning left, but not by much, since they're generally not funded by enormous corporations. The public here is generally to the left of the elites but there aren't that many institutions through which they can be heard unless you count the internet.

I agree with the push for moderation in principle, but if it's defined as walking back the accusation that Hiroshima was a war crime, or refusing to criticize the ritual beating of soldiers in Afghanistan, as Jon "Mr. Moderate" Stewart did, then I'm pretty sure we've already arrived at it.

this is my point. Not all aethiests are bill maher, not all religious people are quran-burning, gay bashing hypocrites, not all muslims are osama bin laden, not all democrats are nancy pelosi, not all republican s are sarah palin. Its a sad thing to see the normal man/woman become the silent voice when the united states was made to let that voice sound through the countryside.

I am a Moderate Republican, yes the party has seem to have left me not I left them.
Daily on a political blog I am called everything from anti American to a Socialist Liberal.
Simply because I say what I think of some of the Conservative’s agenda which I object to.

It is funny their reaction when I say I consider them to be the RINOs and refer to myself as a real Republican. This moderate voice is not letting himself be silenced often I am drowned out though.
Ouster by others who call themselves Republicans

The reasonable voice is often being drowned out by the extreme of the Right.
They are still there, no everyone has left the party they just either are not paying close enough attention to what has happened to the party or they simply are not speaking out.

Not exactly a time for moderation.

not exactly time for moderation... economically and politically, thats the way to go.

Originally Posted by Blood

Not exactly a time for moderation.

Well we have to let the next generation have something to tear down in rebellion.

I'm no American.
But I have a government too.
There is no Moderate voice.

Moderation? want do you mean exactly?
Because if your talking development I disagree completely.

politically.

Originally Posted by Olly Buckle

That is an American view, sometimes from outside it would appear that there is only the extreme right and the very extreme right in American politics.

Compared to the rest of the industrialized democracies USA, even ObamaUSA, is probably farthest right on every issue: military, health care, tax policy, corporate welfare, death penalty ...

While I consider any attempt to hold a moderate policy laudable, any such attempt is in my opinion ultimately doomed. Perhaps it's better simply to reject categorization, listen to what candidates for election are saying, do some research on your own, and vote for whoever seems to represent your own interests the best. (I know it sounds crazy!)

Yeah, as we have learned from watching South Park, sometimes your only choice may be between a Giant Douche and a Turd Sandwich--that is, there may be no candidate who represents your interests very well. But one of those two or three pills is always going to be easier to swallow than the other(s) (ADMIT IT!!) and you have to keep in mind the vast amount of blood that gets spilled in other countries by otherwise innocent people whose fondest wish might only be to be able to have such a choice.

Even today people in less-enlightened, less-tolerant nations die messy and humiliating deaths in their attempts to bring a democratic process, or to bring some just process of governance, to their own peoples. Just to be able to, you know, VOTE, even if their only choice is between the aforementioned disgusting and unsuitable entities.

Moderacy is something that is only possible in peaceful and stable times. Otherwise it's, you know, an every man for himself type of deal.

Don't vote! You'll encourage them!

don't vote! let the right wing wingnuts take the government and run it to the ground with their principles!

worst suggestion ever, lol.