A manifesto for moderates
Published June 9, 2017
By Tom Campbell
by Tom Campbell, Producer and Moderator, NC SPIN, June 8, 2017.
Anyone observing today’s political landscape cannot escape the domination from the conservative right and the liberal left. Both are loud and active advocates for their positions, but what is missing from current public policy debates are those in the moderate middle. Where do they stand and why are they so quiet?
These missing moderates are largely people with long-standing beliefs that a good citizen is one who pays taxes, votes on election day, provides for their families and neither creates nor participates in protests and disturbances. Richard Nixon dubbed them “the silent majority.”
Do not consider their silence as satisfaction for what we are witnessing. Many complain that today’s polarized climate prevents meaningful discussion and resolution of issues. If you mistakenly believe moderates don’t have strong opinions let us assure you such is not the case; moderates frequently have passionate beliefs, siding with the left on some issues and the right on others. Moderates aren’t generally asked their opinions and are largely ignored when they offer them.
North Carolina has historically been considered a politically moderate, perhaps slightly conservative state. Following the Civil War, Republicans dominated state elections until Democrats took over at the turn of the 20th century, holding power for about 100 years. But yesterday’s political parties were much different than those today. Both have swung further to the left or right of the mainstream, often ignoring or drowning out moderates in either party.
The moderate middle is no small number. Of the 6.7 million registered voters in North Carolina as of June 3rd, 39.08 percent are registered Democrats, 30.37 percent are registered Republicans and 30.05 are registered as Unaffiliated. Since January 2015, Democratic registrations have declined 2.5 percentage points, Republicans have lost one-tenth of a percent, meanwhile significant gains have come from Unaffiliated registrations, increasing more than 2.5 percent.
It would be a fallacy to conclude that all unaffiliated registrants are moderates, because some percentage of them almost always votes for Republican candidates and some vote only for Democrats. But remember that all had a chance to designate their registration for one political party or the other and chose not to do so. Why? We are convinced they chose to be unaffiliated because they couldn’t wholly support the positions taken by either party, qualifying them by our definition as moderates – those dissatisfied with today’s highly partisan and divisive political environment.
Jesus told the crowd at the Sermon on the Mount that the meek shall inherit the earth. No doubt humility and a desire for the common good is the better course, but in this era we have concluded that being silent – sometimes perceived as being absent - from public policy participation isn’t working well for our state and nation.
Now is the time for the missing moderates to take six essential actions. Let’s call it the Moderate Manifesto. First, show up and be present. Next, be assertive. Third, demand a return to civility in public debate. Fourth, demonstrate a willingness to listen to and consider different opinions. Fifth, be willing to compromise to achieve what is best for the most. Finally, they must support and vote for candidates of either party who pledge to follow the Manifesto. If those elected don’t perform accordingly, vote them out and elect others who will.
June 9, 2017 at 12:47 pm
Rich Whitley says:
Tom,
This will never fly -- it makes too much sense. What has fueled the passionate cries from both the far Left and far Right has been NON-sense. Compromise has been deemed a dirty word, tantamount to "giving in" to the opposition. In our digital age of publishing news and issues nanoseconds after the mention of an idea or concept wholly stated as "fact", we have come to demand resolution at the speed of the microwave. Yes, we also know that too many don't even wait for the last few seconds to tick off of the microwave timer -- you are too impatient and just open the door and start consuming whatever has been spinning on the plate.
In light of that, I believe one more element of the Moderate Manifesto must include a TIME factor. A time when the two sides are REQUIRED to stay in a room together without food, beverage or bathroom breaks and lay the groundwork for a third alternative. This alternative, by law, cannot benefit either party financially without being subject to immediate dismissal from the office they represent.
One more thing. Lobbying should be taxed. The bigger the issue, the bigger the tax. A million bucks for an HB2 meeting would have been a godsend. We might even get enough into the state coffers to fully fund education, infrastructure needs and a shiny new dome on the state capitol.
When the silent majority finally does vote, it may leave many out on the fringe hoping to go back to their day jobs where they are inevitably going to get along with their co-workers, regardless of ideology because the results benefit everybody who must be there day to day.
My compliments to you and the panel for producing a forum that makes sense. Whether I agree with panelists or issues presented, I always listen and learn.
June 11, 2017 at 10:39 pm
Bill Bush says:
I beg to differ. I have not seen the left try the extreme moves of the right. Their worst sin seems to be trying to provide a better health care system. That is stuff other nations have managed, despite not being "exceptional" as this nation is proclaimed to be. We have an exceptionally reactionary right wing and a widening income gap with government owned by the moneyed interests more than ever before. I don't think simple moderation is any sort of answer. The right is now so far into falling-over-the-edge territory that meeting them halfway is nearly a polar visit.
June 12, 2017 at 2:47 pm
Mary Jo Loftin says:
Interesting the Mr. Bush sees the right as "falling over the edge". I never remember any conservative posting the bloody head of a decapitated president of any other party than theirs. I also never heard of any conservative using taypayer money to put on a play in Central Park about assassinating a sitting president. The media is and has been for years mostly liberal. There are few conservative media out there and liberals want to shut those few down for, as you wrote, Mr. Bush, writing from the right side. I grew up in North Carolina and came from a family of Democrats but found, as a teenager, that I was more conservative than they were. Quite honestly, Democrats have for as long as I can remember, been the wealthy party in North Carolina. They have more money and more political clout than Republicans. I've actually been bullied in my work because I'm conservative. The message the liberal press and people who believe as you do, Mr. Bush, are sending a bad message to our young people. You're telling them that the "other" voice--the voice of the right--is so out of control, that they should not listen or respect what they say. These young people see the disrespect in the news constantly and, for them, it translates into "I don't have to respect anybody's point of view if it's different from mine"....and this translates into "I don't have to respect my teachers because I disagree with them"....and this results in schools being a mess today. Students, for the most part, are disrespectful and the few who aren't disrespectful are shouted down by the bullies and destroy any opportunity for learning to take place in the classroom. Now you're telling them it's okay to bully those who don't see things the way you see them. That's how your post sounds....and you have every right to believe that, but I am saddened by the young people who are following your path and not respecting the other point of view. You see, I respect your point of view but I don't see anything in your post about respecting the point of view of someone whose point of view doesn't line up with yours.
