What Defines A Moderate Politician?

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A moderate politician will avoid the temptation to resolve arguments. Rather, they seek to preserve the tradition of conflict and maintain a rough balance between the opposing points of view. Many public issues involve trade-offs between competing viewpoints. Keeping this balance is a necessary part of American democracy, which has grown prosperous for centuries. New historical circumstances can upend this balance, but it will gradually find a new equilibrium.

Liberals are more liberal than Democrats

In terms of politics, California is a fairly liberal state. There are differences between liberals and conservatives, but in general, California leans more liberal than Democrats. In fact, liberals make up the largest percentage of voters in California, with a statewide approval rate of 52.5% for President Trump. Liberals, however, are much more common in large cities. The liberal slant of California is most prevalent in the San Francisco Bay Area and the greater metropolitan area, with the smallest liberal share in the South.

While Democrats are increasingly liberal in terms of their views on social and political issues, there are differences as well. Liberals tend to be more liberal than conservatives, but this trend is even more noticeable among white Democrats. Some analysts suggest that this shift is caused by higher levels of education. Liberal Democrats have similar views on corporate tax rates, upper-income tax rates, gun control, and human responsibility in global warming. Liberals and conservative Democrats have very different views on abortion, government-run healthcare, and defense spending.

Moderates try to preserve the tradition of conflict

Political moderation has been seen as dead in the United States, as Biden’s victory was widely interpreted as the last gasp of an exhausted tradition. Joe Biden will turn over the reins of the Democratic Party to the extreme left, ending the reigns of political moderation in the party. But why are moderates trying to revive this dead tradition? What do they see in Biden’s win?

One answer to this dilemma is the fact that American politics involves hard work, from organizing to mobilization. This long-term labor is difficult, and the moderates lose to “wingnuts” and “progressives.” Ideological extremists, on the other hand, spend time building institutions that promote political combat. This means that moderates may have to fight for their political influence and leverage within the two major parties.

They view change cautiously

While moderates are generally more skeptical of government than liberals, they do not distrust it. They generally oppose government spending and are concerned about deficits. They also disagree with the idea that government is almost always wasteful and that it is generally better at its job than people give it credit for. Moderates would rather have a smaller government that provides fewer services and more money for social programs than a large, powerful government that offers a variety of services.

Polls show that moderates are ambivalent about health care legislation, which stirred more controversy about the role of government in society than any other issue during the first two years of the Obama presidency. And moderates also tend to agree with liberals that labor unions have too much power. But what do moderates really think about these issues? In fact, they are more likely to support Obama’s proposed tax cuts than liberals, according to a third Way poll.

They revere the American dream

A partisan divide exists regarding whether or not the “American dream” is still a viable political ideology. The divide began when President Barack Obama took office, and Republicans became downbeat about the direction of the country. But, in the aftermath of his election, Mitt Romney promised to “turn the country around” and revive the dream. But can this hope be realistically realized? Will the country’s problems be solved through government action?

Despite the problems facing the working class, most African Americans believe that their position in society has improved over the Jim Crow conditions of their parents. A recent CNN-Kaiser Family Foundation poll revealed that 55 percent of African Americans believe that they are more likely to achieve the American dream than their parents were. While the American dream is an ideal that we all strive for, it can still be a difficult goal to reach. Moderate politicians must take these issues seriously and listen to the concerns of those who wish to make it happen.