I say, to heck with the Dems and the GOP....

[JudicialTyranny]

I see moderates more as people who make up their own mind on issues based on how they feel on each individual issue, rather than towing a party line.

I see them as people who can't make up their mind.

Leadership requires taking stands on issues, sometimes unpopular stands. Moderates seem to like to follow whatever the popular view of the day happens to be.

"Towing a party line" is sometimes how things get accomplished.

 

[dcentity2000]

Here in the UK, we have three party politics, albeit where the third party lags behind with only 21% of the public voting for it.

We couldn't be happier. Why?

Well, with two parties, you either conform to one or the other, even if your views don't match well to either. The typical two party system tends to polarise politics, whereas a third party would help to establish a middle ground, either as a protest vote party or as a real alternative.

The issues of the day are typically not black and white; often there are many shades of grey.

[EDIT]: View this image to see how the three major parties vary accross the UK. In first place we have the ruling Labour party (in red), which stands for socialism and liberal polices. In second place we have the Conservatives, coloured in blue. Finally, in third place, we have the Liberal Democrats (yellow) who stand for liberty and the more distant left wingers.

There are other parties too - the UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party) works to separate the UK from the EU and so on.

The point is that the system works. People have a greater choice and this choice is reflected in Parliament. With so many parties gaining seats, we no longer have to tow the party line - we can opt for a closer match to our sentiments.



Rich::

 

[What the Heck]

I simply don't believe moderates could survive as a functional political party simply because of the constant volatility of their stands.

I consider myself a moderate and my stands is not volatile at all. When I change a stand it's because it has been thought out - and many times doesn't have anything to do with the poplular choice. (I'll leave that to presidents whose last name began with a C).

 

[What the Heck]

I see them as people who can't make up their mind.

Leadership requires taking stands on issues, sometimes unpopular stands. Moderates seem to like to follow whatever the popular view of the day happens to be.

"Towing a party line" is sometimes how things get accomplished.

If you look at "moderates" as a group, yes. Break one out of your cubby hole you have created, and you may find that their opinions are as steady as yours.

 

[What the Heck]

Yeah, we have a third party (Nader) to thank for Bush being re-elected.

Sorry, minnie, but the person we have to thank for Bush's 2nd term is Kerry. He took one stand that I can think of in particular that scared the heck out of me - regarding North Korea. After the 2nd debate I knew Bush had won just because of that. Since "wishy-washy" moderates usually do more research on the issues, he scared many right side moderates that might have voted for him. And of course his stance that he wasn't going to start a draft but he was going to increase the size of our military by what was it 3 more divisions? The numbers didn't add up, but we weren't supposed to see that.

Just my thoughts.