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November 30, 2006
The Middle: Bleed American*
With the most 2006 midterm elections having drawn to a close, I can finally do something I had been wanting to do for quite a while: return to my “moderate” roots. The world is no longer upside down; it is possible once more to stand in the middle and find the world shifting under, sliding ever towards destruction...
"Moderate", or “centrist” policies have a special place in American hearts. We have long heard cries for "bipartisanship". The idea seems to be that if our parties could simply work together the extremes on "both sides" would kill each other off in some sort of Ultimate Congressional Championship. Moderates are the heroes of this story; they ride in on their shiny white horses of Compromise and slay the beast of Extremism...
In principle, this is utterly ok. It is my firm belief that our system, to borrow words from 1776, offers a gentler means of redress than revolution. And yet Martin Luther King JR once called moderates "the great stumbling block[...]". He is correct: there does come a time when revolution is necessary and proper, a time when it is impossible to remain both principled and moderate...
The problem comes from the assumption that one is bargaining between two extreme points of view. The middle ground between red and blue is, indeed, purple. Nevertheless, when one side of the debate owns all the terms by which the debate can be held—in some cases going so far as to shut the lights off and halt recording of a debate-- both extremes are no longer being represented. "Moderates" are left to find compromise with only one side...
Imagine an event where the existence of Habeas Corpus is up for debate. At issue is either keeping or getting rid of one of the foundation stones of Human Liberty. It is possible to compromise between such outcomes. But—and this is the crucial point—any such compromise weakens the foundation of American liberty. Too: the Moderate is helping, rather than hindering, a slide towards the extreme. This is obviously the least-desired outcome...
Now, with divided government once more, we can begin the long, slow, slide back to the center. I can go back to happily calling greens idiots and making fun of the fascists on the far right. Being terrified of the far right while making common cause with the far left was wearying in the extreme...
*with apologies to Jimmy Eat World
Posted by Andrew at November 30, 2006 01:15 PM
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