{"id":802,"date":"2022-07-18T16:50:20","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T23:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?p=802"},"modified":"2022-07-25T17:22:24","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T00:22:24","slug":"how-moderates-might-hold-america-together-during-these-turbulent-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?p=802","title":{"rendered":"How Moderates Might Hold America Together During These Turbulent Times"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>8 Minute, 38 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n

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Having been a Republican all my life, I never would have thought there\u2019d ever be such a thing as a Democratic politician who shares my center-to-right-leaning values and supports a moderate to perhaps even right-leaning agenda, at least as defined by traditional standards.\u00a0 Had you asked me \u201cWho would meet that definition?\u201d just a few years ago, I probably would have answered \u201cNobody\u201d and would have likely relegated the term \u201cConservative Democrat\u201d to being a misnomer.\u00a0 I\u2019ll admit, as a moderate Republican, that I might have aligned more with the party more than its key underlying values, partly because I was too busy with work and other things at the time to pay much attention to politics, but mainly because I was quite content with where the Republican party was at the time, especially during the Ronald Reagan\/George HW Bush years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, over time, I started to become just as frustrated with the far right as I have always been with the far left.\u00a0 For instance, I believe the notion of allowing nearly anyone to buy an assault weapon (handguns\/riffles for self-defense and hunting are OK) and having states secede from the union to be just as horrific as redistributing wealth and unequivocally allowing abortion.\u00a0 Until recently, I don\u2019t recall a major Republican initiative that I opposed to this same extent.\u00a0 However, lately, and especially after its response to the pandemic in mid\/late 2020, I have become equally frustrated with the Republican party.\u00a0 Forbidding businesses and schools from implementing vaccine and mask mandates to protect their employees\/customers\/students from COVID-19 is totally unconscionable to me.\u00a0 I\u2019ll admit, had you asked me before the pandemic, which party would promote prudent, data-driven decisions versus which would say \u201cmy body, my choice\u201d, I would have been willing to bet a month\u2019s pay that it would have been the Republicans to have followed science, medicine, and common sense.\u00a0 Thankfully, I never made such a bet because I would have lost $$.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have always been fully aware that some Republicans are biased right more than others and likewise with some Democrats being biased left more toward the left.\u00a0 However, it appears to me that such biases within both parties have become downright stark.\u00a0 I noticed the biggest change on the Republican side in that the far right DeSantis<\/a> \/Trump<\/a> supporters have been recently marginalizing the moderates within their own party, such as Maryland Governor Larry Hogan).\u00a0 On the same note, I see similar infighting within the Democratic party.\u00a0 For instance, take the USA Today article \u201cBiden promises ‘strong executive action’ on climate change after Sen. Manchin dooms domestic agenda<\/a>\u201d. President Biden (far left) and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin<\/a> (moderate Democrat) were at odds on our country\u2019s go-forward energy policy.\u00a0 (BTW, I very much resonate with Mr. Manchin\u2019s stand on this particular issue.)\u00a0 I also believe that Mr. Manchin\u2019s stand on the issue aligns well with the \u201ctraditional\u201d Republican viewpoint in that we need a solid energy policy and that we need to have affordable clean\/renewable energy\/related infrastructure in place before we start to pull the plug on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have also noticed there seems to be little difference between the viewpoints\/values of moderate Democrats<\/a> and moderate Republicans<\/a>.  Both advocate that the top 2 priorities of the US Federal Government are 1) maintain a strong national defense that preserves our sovereignty and freedom; and 2) maintain a sound fiscal policy that supports our free-enterprise market while ensuring a level playing field.  Moderates on both sides also tend to put these issues ahead of social issues, especially those involving our private lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s Trends<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, it seems that the \u201cpartly line\u201d on both sides seems to be gravitating more and more to that party’s extreme, thereby leaving what appears to be somewhat of a vacuum in the middle \u2013 at least per the headlines.\u00a0 However, I tend to believe this does not necessarily represent what is physically happening, as I believe there is much more going on in the middle than what we hear about.\u00a0 It also appears that, recently, moderate Republicans are fading. Some, like Mitch McConnell<\/a> seem to be drifting to the far right whereas others have exited the party to become Independents because they don\u2019t like the current – seemingly cultist \u2013 trends, such as antivax conspiracy theorists and those advocating secession from the USA.\u00a0 For instance, Denver Riggleman<\/a> just announced his exit from the Republican party last month.\u00a0 He is now an Independent.\u00a0 On the other hand, most Moderate Democrats seem to be holding their own quite well, and others are flourishing.\u00a0 For instance, Joe Manchin has held his US Senate position since 2010 and continues to be very influential, as evidenced by the aforementioned USA Today article.\u00a0 Also, Senator Gary Peters<\/a> of Michigan was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2008 and to the US Senate in 2015.\u00a0 He is well-known for his pragmatic and bi-partisan approach to many of our country\u2019s current challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does This Mean and What Will Be the End State?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s probably anyone\u2019s guess, at least for this decade.\u00a0 My best speculation is that, unfortunately, the polarization between the far left and the far right politicians will continue and that more people (non-politicians) might get caught up in it.\u00a0 However, I can also see a growing awareness and perhaps a growing population of moderates as described above.\u00a0 I believe this \u201cwing\u201d of the Democratic party is now most closely aligned with the \u201csilent majority\u201d \u2013 a term applied to moderate Republicans for many years.\u00a0 Meanwhile, the Republican party seems to have lost its grounding rod as it continues to drift further to the extreme right while marginalizing those who oppose this trend.\u00a0 On the contrary, the Democratic moderate movement appears to remain rock-solid \u2013 maybe struggling in maintaining\/growing its participation, but steadfast nevertheless.\u00a0 Thus, I can foresee a number of Republican voters switching to the Democratic party \u2013 not because their views have changed but because the political landscape around them has changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tend to put myself in this category, as I don\u2019t feel a strong attachment to either party right now.\u00a0 Again, it\u2019s not all because my views have changed, but because the Republican party has distanced itself from the \u201cOne America” (AKA “united we stand, divided we fall”) value that I hold so close.\u00a0 For instance, the DeSantis Republicans really lost me on their views toward COVID mitigation, as discussed previously.\u00a0 I continue to believe that medicine and science have proven \u2013 with an abundance of data \u2013 that vaccines and masks offer very good (but not guaranteed) protection against becoming severely ill and dying of COVID.\u00a0 Yet, multiple Republican governors have forbidden vaccine and mask mandates within in their states.\u00a0 I find it even more troubling that some state governors seem to be advocating secession from the USA.\u00a0 (This was already attempted over 150 years ago, and it didn\u2019t end well for those who tried.)\u00a0 And to be fair, I have basically the same criticism for the far left and the news media.\u00a0 For instance, why was Seattle\u2019s burning of buildings, destruction of property, and injuring of people called a \u201cdemonstration\u201d, yet the January 6, 2021 event was called a \u201criot\u201d.\u00a0 In my book, both events were equally wrong, and both fully met the definition of \u201criot<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK, enough on the negative, as I do see hope and a lot of upside potential.\u00a0 Given that moderate Republicans and moderate Democrats join forces, I believe their unified efforts would help reduce the division and hate that our country is currently experiencing and promote unity\/cohesion via their bi-partisan approach to our current challenges and issues.\u00a0 I also see more likelihood of that movement landing within the Democratic party, only because I believe they would likely be rejected by the current Republican party.\u00a0 If it does indeed play out this way, I believe a significant number of voters would align with the people behind this movement, even if it means switching parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Final Thoughts and Recommendations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although I have my own views (and have shared some of them above), I could never tell anyone in good conscience what they should think or how they should vote.  However, I will offer a few things to consider as you navigate through this ever-changing political landscape as we approach the November midterm elections. I also believe these points to be independent of political party affiliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Be aware of your environment and stay focused on the issues that matter most to you and on how you believe they should be addressed.\u00a0 It\u2019s all about your core values.\u00a0 This should translate into being mindful of how politician\u2019s (on both sides) and the news media are trying to shape our views.\u00a0 I believe this is paramount.\u00a0 (For me, it is not very daunting\/confusing because I\u2019m a Catholic, and I always strive to have the Holy Spirit, scriptures and teachings of the Church guide my thoughts, decisions, and actions in all situations. This greatly helps me to avoid getting caught up in\/distracted by the political swirl here on earth.)<\/li>
  2. #1 also applies when assessing candidates.\u00a0 I recall the words of my dear grandfather: \u00a0\u201cI vote for the person, not the party\u201d.\u00a0 I believe this simple anecdote is even more relevant today as both parties are changing – a lot. Thus, I believe one could easily be misled by a particular candidate’s partisan \u201clabel\u201d.<\/li>
  3. Don\u2019t underestimate the tremendously negative power of division\/hate and the tremendously positive power of unity\/good will when selecting candidates to vote for, as I believe this unity\/good will is what made America great.\u00a0 In my 20+ years as a middle manager in a large company, I have seen this make or break organizations and large programs\/projects on multiple occasions.<\/li>
  4. Things are seldom as bad or as good as they might seem at first.\u00a0 We need to unpeel the onion (drill down\/get to the facts) before we draw conclusions.\u00a0 Also, if something about a candidate\u2019s stance on something feels out-of-sorts, that should be a tip-off to take a closer look.<\/li><\/ol>\n
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    Having been a Republican all my life, I never would have thought there\u2019d ever be such a thing as a Democratic politician who shares my center-to-right-leaning values and supports a moderate to perhaps even right-leaning agenda, at least as defined by traditional standards.\u00a0 Had you asked me \u201cWho would meet that definition?\u201d just a few […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[85,18],"tags":[129,137,135,136,130,131,133,138,128,134],"class_list":["post-802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-editor","category-politics","tag-democrat","tag-election","tag-far-left","tag-far-right","tag-moderate","tag-moderate-democrat","tag-moderate-republican-2","tag-november-election","tag-republican","tag-vote"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/donkey-elephant-USA.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1",1200,628,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/donkey-elephant-USA.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/donkey-elephant-USA.png?fit=300%2C157&ssl=1",300,157,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/donkey-elephant-USA.png?fit=768%2C402&ssl=1",768,402,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/donkey-elephant-USA.png?fit=1024%2C536&ssl=1",1024,536,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/donkey-elephant-USA.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1",1200,628,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/donkey-elephant-USA.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1",1200,628,true],"pk-small":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/donkey-elephant-USA.png?resize=80%2C80&ssl=1",80,80,true],"pk-thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/donkey-elephant-USA.png?resize=300%2C225&ssl=1",300,225,true],"bigbulletin-500-300":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/donkey-elephant-USA.png?resize=500%2C300&ssl=1",500,300,true]},"author_info":{"info":["The Editor"]},"category_info":"From the Editor<\/a> Politics<\/a>","tag_info":"Politics","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/donkey-elephant-USA.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1827,"url":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?p=1827","url_meta":{"origin":802,"position":0},"title":"A Synergistic Approach to the California Drought Situation that Also Provides Clean Energy","date":"August 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I just learned, via a recent Reuters article, of a new California experiment that will install solar panels over an approximate 2-mile portion of its aqueduct.\u00a0 I got excited because it sems to make perfect sense on several levels. First, a little background on the California aqueduct:\u00a0 As part of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "From the Editor"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.druryjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/solar-aquagrid-llc.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2199,"url":"https:\/\/www.druryjournal.com\/?p=2199","url_meta":{"origin":802,"position":1},"title":"Would You Like to See More Unity in the USA?","date":"September 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Background It seems that, every day, there are multiple headline articles that blame our current problems and issues on either the Democrats or the Republicans.\u00a0 This has been bothering me more and more for that past couple years, and I felt most compelled to write about it after reading a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "From the 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