Life is in the middle

I wrote this in January 2005. I have not given up on the dream but am not that hopeful.
On a political scale, my heart moans over how very few of us ever move to the middle. I’d love to see a centrist party morph from the 2 parties. I know I’m dreaming. What would it be like to have a party that endorsed:
  1. Tangible commitments to the working poor,
  2. Moderate trade agreements that helped US labor,
  3. Sensible restrictions on abortions (i.e. 2nd trimester viability),
  4. Gun control that excluded hunting rifles (i.e.shotguns),
  5. Middle ground health care coverage for everyone,
  6. Some limits on liability for health care professionals.
Not a complete list but you get the idea. I think that the problem with this approach is that few people want to let go of the ideology and rhetoric. On one end you have the Rush Limbaughs and on the other end the Kate Michelsons … both full of rhetoric and afraid to give an inch on anything. The influence that special interest groups have on our leaders tend to polarize not unite. It would be good for politicians to divorce themselves from special interest oriented organizations and find common ground through mutual respect and earnest dialogue.
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  1. MichaelDecember 27, 2015 at 1:08:00 PM CST

    You know, I don;t listen to either of these people --not even sure what they stand for but while it would be great to find a middle ground, as we all know, what is one's person's moderation, is another's extreme. For example-- gun control. Whilst I would consider myself fairly conservative politically, I detest guns yet my radical liberal coworker will defend gun ownership as the balance of power between government and the people-- a deterrent to any future dictator. she is probably right on the constitutional level but still, the mere thought of wanting a gun make me cringe, justified or not.

    Then there is healthcare. Again, I'm a Mitt Romney kind of conservative but I would love nothing more but to see the whole medical edifice come crumbling down in the US where doctors do the profession out of a love for medicine and people than for their massive salaries and huge homes (even after expensive medical school). I don't think a doctor or even surgeon, let a lone anyone in the pharma industry should get any more than a teacher or policeman actually. Seems perfectly moderate and middle ground to me but that would never fly with my conservative cohorts, just as my liberal friends would thin ANY restriction on abortions is preventing a woman from doing what she wants with her body whendver she wants (all the while ignoring the inconvenient other heartbeat and body inside.)

    So, with that said, on your list, i would be for 3 and 4 but would never consider the others the middle ground.

    Good post, Bob. Thank you.

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