I'm not against moderates, I just think many moderates are moderate for the wrong reasons. Take Garm for instance: on many issues he's what some might call moderate, but he has more reason than that old canard "if you go too extreme with any view you're wrong.”* But more than just debunking the genius of straddling the fence, I find most people, for one reason or another, actually go for what I'm going to deem "feel-good politics."
What is feel-good politics? It's cliches and slogans, it's maxims like, "you can't stop people from being people," or "parents should take responsibility for their kids." It's the average go to work, come home, play with the kids, I don't watch the news Joe-Nobody. They don't check RealClearPolitics, they don't read NRO, and they don't browse the Voice (just to know what the enemy is up to).
Now, I'm not coming down on the feel-gooder's too hard, I mean they are the bread and butter of most elections—what, you think most voters are informed? And hey, everyone panders to them with slogans and bumper stickers. But a little advice from me to you, they don't love argument, they don't want to wonk-out on foreign policy, they want you to nod you're head and claim you really don't follow politics, but, gee, you really like that one guy because he seems soooo honest--not most politicians who are all crooked and just take positions to satisfy those extremists on the far, far, far right, or for that matter, as dead-square in the middle as they can possibly manage.
*Ed. Note- Actually, I've also been called a fascist and a socialist. In fact, I was called both on the same memorable evening once. I can't win. --Garm
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