Define Moderate
What is a moderate? Why do you label yourself as a moderate? What do you stand for?
Or what questions do you have for moderates?
Or what questions do you have for moderates?
posted by Meyer at 1:33 PM
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
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33 Comments:
In my opinion, the definition of a moderate is a person who’s collective convictions fall somewhere in the middle of the political spectrum between conservatives and liberals. Though I do not necessarily enjoy the idea of being labeled, I consider myself to be a moderate because my convictions are rarely radical, but instead reasonable.
I am a moderate, because I believe that overall our government is doing a good job. I feel safe day to day, I have many rights,and I have many opportunities to do what I want to. There is a vast amount of freedom in this country, but there needs to be a few changes in order for our country to become even more free.
I consider myself a moderate because I dislike the radically extreme of either liberal or conservative. I also waver between both sides in different issues. On the liberal side, I think the government should have plenty of power to get things done, and that a more socialist government is more efficient than our current democracy. However, some of the smaller issues such as drug legalizing and gun possession I am more conservative. Others issues, I really don’t hold much of an opinion and would be fine with either outcome.
I would like to point out that the term “moderate” is relative. An American moderate in Europe would probably be considered conservative. Though the spectrum has been shifting left of late, America is a very conservative nation. In addition, we think of moderates as rational, but it would be possible to have an irrational moderate if moderate means agreeing with certain ideas from both sides. An anarchist who also believed that property shouldn’t exist, would be a moderate by that definition. The concept of someone who seeks the middle ground based on the positions of the two competing sides on all or most issues is my definition of an ideal moderate and this is the concept that many find refreshing.
I consider myself to be a moderate because I am a flip-flopper so to speak. My opinions vary depending on the issue. For example, I believe my views fall usually under the Republican party. However, in regards to the abortion issue, I am pro-choice; not exactly a Republican view point. Correct me if I am wrong but in my perspective, the term moderate has come to mean someone who acknowledges both view points and does not support their parties opinions on every issue.
I am a moderate because, like Todd, I do not like to be confined to one side in particular. I feel that defining myself as a moderate I can say yes, I support pro-choice, but I do not agree with all of the ideas on the liberal side. I could be defined as independent, but that takes a whole different stance.
I stand for the ability to chose what you believe and be strong to it. Just because someone is dead set on believing something that I strongly disagree with, it doesn't mean that I do no value their opinions. I do not know a whole lot about actual politics, so I do now know where I stand in as far as many nit picky topics... but if I was asked what I believe on something specifici I would be able to answer and not be confined to the "democratic" or "republican" answer.
I believe I am a moderate because of the fact that I support both political parties and disagree with both. I agree with Allison in saying that I don't know a lot about politics, but I do know that I have strong feelings towards certain issues. In some ways I feel like a single issue "believer" towards issues like abortion.
In agreement with a few others above, I don't feel like a moderate because I am pretty reasonable and understanding with each issue, because I know there are issues I feel extremely passionate about, disregarding what side of the spectrum they are on. I feel like a moderate because I see passionately about issues on BOTH sides of the party split and I feel that this is true for most moderates.
I wanted to respond to abailey's comment and ask why she feels our country is succeeding due to moderate manners and how? Does that mean a more moderate approach should be the ideal method for current campaigning politicians? And finally, what do you mean by "more free"?
I am a moderate because I agree with both the liberals and conservatives on different issues. I think that I am more reasonable, and not very extreme, so I don't really want to pick a side. Like Allison and Adison, I don't know a whole bunch about politics, but there are some issues I feel strongly about, such as abortion, but those stong feelings appear on both sides of the liberal/conservative spectrum. On other issues, I would be fine with any outcome, espcially if both sides have good, workable ideas.
I would consider myself to be moderate because I am an amoral person in the political arena. I have no strong moral inclinations. If people want to push their moral beliefs or policy on me, they have to convince me why their views are right. I accept the most logical and substantial proposal.
I am an impartial questioner of both sides. My goal is to help people refine their views by questioning them.
i believe i am a moderate because my views go both ways. i wouldn't associate myself with either the republicans or democrats because im not extremely conservative or liberal. AQlthough i tend to lean miore to the republican side, i dont agree with every issue...nor disagree w/ every democratic viewpt. I am neutral on a lot of issues as well./
I would label myself as a moderate because I swing both ways…politically that is. I have strong beliefs for many issues. For instance, I would consider myself partially liberal because I believe in individual rights and equal opportunities as well pro-choice when on the topic of abortion. On the other hand, I could be classified as a conservative because I believe that taxes should be lowered and that we do in fact need strong armed forces. Leaning completely to one side of the spectrum is an impossible task for me, and that is why I fit suitably in the middle as a moderate.
I would consider myself a moderate because I agree with both sides on certain topics. For example, I believe that it is the mother's choice on abortion since she is having the baby. I believe that a moderate agrees with both sides so to speak on certain topics. They don't follow their party for every single topic.
Of course, being a moderate means you disagree and agree with both republicans and democrats, but I also believe it means that you don't have a strong opinion, maybe just a slight one. I have also said I was a republican because my parents are republicans. They support Bush (for the most part), and as do I, but I do ave to admit that my favorite part of the David Letterman Show is his "Famous Presidential Speeches" that usually are just mockings of George Bush. But as a moderate I think that you can look at both sides of an issue, give your thoughts and not drastically change someone's mind. It takes a conservative or liberal to do that. I consider myself a moderate because I don't have any extreme issues with what our government is doing today. As far as I know, they are trying their hardest to do what they believe is best for our country, and while I disagree with some of their ideas, I'm fine with our life today, especially when you look at other places in the world. A moderate is in the middle, and you have a the best view when in the middle, so I'm content with staying there for now.
I would consider myself a moderate because I generally fall in the middle of the political spectrum in regards to stances on issues. I agree with some aspects of both political parties but I think I lean more liberal than conservative. I am generally open to different view points but there are some issues that I am passionate about and not easily pursuaded from.
I believe a moderate is someone whose views and opinions land somewhere between liberal and conservative but not strongly to one or the other. On certain issues a moderate may lean to one side of the spectrum, but does not fall strictly into the categories of either liberal or conservative. I consider myself a moderate because my views do fall between the two. I am not a liberal because I do not seek radical change at this point in time. Perhaps if censorship becomes a larger issue this opinion might change, but I am fairly content with the current government. I would say I lean slightly conservative mainly because of my views on taxes, but I am pro-choice. I do not believe it is the role of a government to make that choice for a woman--especially one who has been raped.
I would more or less call myself a moderate, due mostly to my uncanny ability to be swung by either party. I strongly agree with the blogger named "kimb", I do not think it is up to the moderates to sway anybodies opinion it should instead be left to the remaining to sway the opinion of the moderate. On issues such as immigration and war I tend to move more to the right. If I feel that one party has a better solution, I choose based upon reason and logicality not party name.
I agree with Parker in that I am a flip-flopper. I have strong views that are considered liberal and strong views that are considered conservative, and some that are not skewed to either side. I disagree with Kim that moderates don't have very strong opinions, they do, but it just depends on the issue. Overall, they can compromise and try to find a way so that everyone is happy (even though this is probably very tough on most issues). So according to Nathan, I would be an irrational moderate. Perhaps I am, but we'll see which side I leans towards in the future.
Defining moderate is very hard to do. Even though you are in the middle of the fence concerning most issues in which the parties are debating, overall you are going to have a bias towards one side. I am like this because my parents are split on Republican and Democrat. By seeing both sides and what the supporters of those sides believe I have mixed views. In some cases I will lean more Republican and vice versa. I will choose my side depending on where the parties draw their line. I have a feeling though that after taking this class my viewpoint will change of where I stand.
I agree with Parker and Lily in that moderates do not have to be those without strong opinons. Personally, I am very passionate about all issues. It is very rare for me to be in the middle or going back and forth on something, however my opinions tend to be some from both sides of the spectrum. For this reason I would not lable myself specifically as a conservative or a liberal. My opinion is that it is best if each issue is examined individually and I make my decision from there. I agree with Wade that it is difficult to define moderate do to the fact that this is the "grey" area of politics. There are various people claiming to be moderate as if it is a unified form of thinking but when their beliefs are thouroughly examined they may be extremely different. I also agree with Wade that this class will help to provide a better definition of moderate.
Overall, I consider myself a moderate because I find myself in a situation where I don't exactly agree with all conservative viewpoints nor with all liberal viewpoints. Also, I agree with Lily and others as to thinking about issues and "flip-flopping" given how I personally feel about them. I feel that being moderate is a nice combination of the two given the certain aspects of each that I do agree with. I think that being a moderate is a nice compromise between being all conservative or all liberal. To me, those labels are too confining.
Yes, I'm pretty sure I'm moderate as well. I have some views that are quite liberal and some quite conservative as well. For example, when it comes to gay marriage I have pretty liberal views, even though I'm opposed to the idea morally, I would be a proponent of allowing the marriages to take place because I believe that all human beings should have their rights as long as they are not being destructive onto other people. Concerning abortion, however, I would say I'm pretty pro-life in most situations. I used to think I was pro-choice, but once I started thinking about my beliefs and tried not to tie it in with peer pressure and similar influence, it became clearer to me that what I believe individually is different from what I thought I believed.
I was noticing a trend in class the other day about how when we put that chart on the board (liberal, conservative, moderate, independent, democrat, republican) that all of the moderates and conservatives called themselves republicans. And I am just curious how many associate themselves with the Republican Party from this page. Because I saw that as a very intersting occurance in our class and I'm wondering why so many moderates (who are on the fence about issues and could go both ways) decide to choose the Republican Party and not the Independent Party (which seems to be a more natural choice to me). Is that because here in Colorado, Independents can't vote in primary elections, or is there something else?
Even though I voted conservative and republican in class I have come to realize that I actually had no clue. I voted that direction because that is how I would classify my parents. I believe I am a moderate because not only am I still flip flopping on issues but I have some conservative views and some liberal views. For instance i am pro choice but i often fall on the conservative side regarding other issues. Regardless i fell as though i dont know enough about politics to feel strongly enough to categorize myself.
I believe that a moderate is someone who tackles an issue with an open mind instead of just looking at the issue from a conservative/liberal point of view and not even giving the other side a second galnce. I would consider myself to be a moderate because I do tend to lean conservative on some issues and liberal on others. I like looking at issues without a confining lable to go along with my name. For instance I like having the option of being pro-choice but not having to go that way on other issues.
This just an announcement for any of you who will be 18 by February 5, and remind your parents as well. As Jeff said, if you are an independent, you cannot vote in the caucus primary. So please please please register with a party ( democrat, Republican, I dont care), and make sure your parents do the same, so they can vote. As a registered independent you have no power at this stage in the voting process. I was at an event yesterday where we discussed caucus voting. Most people do not show up to their precincts, and it is imperative that you do so on February 5, so your voice is heard.You can get voter registration forms from your county party headquarters, or online.
A moderate is someone who's views are considered "fairly mainstream." The obnoxious, knee-jerk politics and news of today may make it seem like everyone is a radical liberal or conservative, but that is simply not the case. Parties and the media try to polarize and issue and report lies in order to further their own views. The majority of people (the silent majority) in the U.S. are moderates. I would say I am a moderate because I have what can be labeled as conservative views and liberal views, but i do not agree with all conservative or liberal policies.
I am not a politics buff, but I try to stay informed. I think we should get out of Iraq NOW. I think George bush and the administration should be investigated for their misleading of congress and the American people in getting us into the war. I think we should all have electric cars and get rid of our ties with the Saudis. but im not gonna list everything off.
I am moderate, leaning liberal and libertarian, because I am slightly conservative on some issues, moderate to liberal on most, and crazy liberal on a few (technology, global warming).
I think that we need to stop using fossil fuels now to stop global warming, and am a fan of open source technology and the anonymity and freedom of the internet. Those are the issues I know best, but I think that to be a single issue candidate is a horrible idea, so I wouldn't back Adolf Hitler(or Karl Marx) if he promised to halt pollution and keep the internet free.
I would describe a moderate as what it is, moderate. I think to be a moderate means to either be in the middle of some things, or have some liberal and some conservative views.
I'm am not sure what a moderate is. So judging from the responses I would say a moderate is someone who doesn't take a side just cause a party or person does the are kinda like an independent. (correct me if im wrong)
Well, what I get from this entire situation is that you all flip-flop. But so does everyone. And you can not flip-flop evenly on every single issue. So what I was wondering was are you moderately liberal or moderately conservative? And why? Because no is exactly moderate, they usually lean to one side or the other.
Yes but I think even those people who call themselves "conservative" or "liberal" are all pretty moderate because so very few people do agree with ALL conservative or liberal views. We are all more moderate than we think.
As for your question, I think I am more moderately conservative in social issues and more liberal on economic issues.
SAVE THE TREES! recycle!
I would consider myself a 'moderate', a political title I use to name my beliefs and my stand point. My views are not hot, cold, donkey or elephant. Moderate seems to be the 'middle' political group, where one can be swayed on either spectrums: liberal or republican. Frankly, I know sqwat about being a Democrat or a Republican let alone a Moderate/Independent.
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