The Moderate Paradox

[Valin]

Sultan Knish:

Daniel Greenfield

8/13/12

 

The moderate solution is deeply seductive for Republicans, who see their opposition sliding to the extreme left and believe that they can sweep up the middle by just moving a little to the left. All they have to do is moderate their position on X, Y or Z, and they will win over all the unaffiliated voters who are a natural fit for their common-sense policies.

 

This seems like such a no-brainer that high-profile Republicans keep earnestly and then angrily pushing for a surrender on one point or another as the key to becoming the moderate mainstream party. But no matter how many times the Republican Party plays this game, it never stops being the "extremist" party that is out of touch with whatever the new normal is.

 

(Snip)

 

Moderation is an unreachable goal as long as the culture is constantly in motion. And it's off limits to Republicans as long as its trajectory is always moving to the left. The moderate position is not defined by the right so long as the right remains in place or moves to the left. The left is moving and so its movement defines what the new moderate position is.

 

(Snip)