Politics: The Radicalized Moderate

Politically, I am solidly in the middle, or at least that’s where I strive to be. I have never been a member of a Party, and don’t ever plan to be. I spent 36 years in the Military in one form or another, and developed the habit of supporting my President and my Country regardless of which Party was in power. I voted Republican most of my life simply because that’s what my parents did, but again, I proudly served and supported whoever ended up in charge.

I have just as much historical pride and respect for Jimmy Carter as I do for Ronald Reagan; just as much for George H.W. Bush as for I do for Bill Clinton; just as much for Barrack Obama as I do for George W. Bush. The only President who I’m glad I didn’t have to serve under is Donald Trump. This is not because I'm a "Liberal" or a "Trump hater": it's because I'm an intelligent, thinking adult who knows a con artist when he sees one (regardless of which direction he/she leans). 

My Right-leaning changed in 2016 when I voted third-party (I was retired by then, and I didn’t like either legitimate choice; I honestly thought my protest vote would help Hilary Clinton), and then made the move to the Left in 2020 out of "severe dissatisfaction" of Donald Trump. His actions in the two years since have proven even more to me that I made the right choice; I certainly hope something happens to prevent him from getting anywhere near the Oval Office ever again (that goes for his endorsees as well). I am a “never-ever-again-Trumper.”

I’m not necessarily a big fan of Joe Biden or the Democrats either, but at least I have a clear conscience supporting him, and would have been proud to serve under him. What other real choices do we have? Like a lot of folks, I felt I had to choose “the lesser of two evils.” Like it or not (and I don't), our two-party system is our reality, and we have to live and work with it the best we can. It's certainly better than one-party rule, which a lot of people seem to want today. Be careful what you wish for!

Through these last few years, I have realized that I have more Liberal personal views than I do Conservative, so maybe I’m in the right place for me? I certainly consider myself to be “woke.” But that doesn’t mean anything; if I like the Republican candidate in 2024, who knows how I’ll vote? All I know is, if the candidate is a Trumpian, I will vote against them as a matter of principal, as I did in Arizona last year. Voting as I choose is my Constitutionally guaranteed right as an American; I want to keep it that way. I will not allow myself to be pigeon-holed or minimized by anyone for my personal choices.

I am a proud “swing voter”; I think everyone should be, but not everyone has the ability to stay in the middle. If you are a staunch “issue voter” (Pro Life/Pro Choice, pro/anti-gun-control, etc.), you may believe you have no choice. I understand this and support your view and choice 100%. I myself have tried to stay neutral on hot-button issues. Even if I feel strongly about something, I feel even more strongly about our individual freedom to think and believe as we will. I would never presume to tell you that you should think like me!

More often than not, my rants are centered on maintaining a moderate, down-the-middle position. It upsets me when folks are so strongly for or against something that they consider the other side to be “evil.” I realize that the more to one side of an issue one is, the more vocal they will be about it, and the less afraid they will be of dragging their fellow Americans down for not agreeing with them. So much for “unity!” Those of us in the “happy middle” have been less vocal. That’s the main reason for my blog; you might call me a “radicalized moderate.”

Here I go back to my unconditional loyalty to my Country and all of her inhabitants: we certainly have our problems, but I can't imagine living anywhere else! Do you think that other person doesn’t deserve dignity as an American because they disagree with you? Are their personal views and beliefs not an important part of what it means to be American—every bit as important as yours? Can you not see that their view may be opposite of yours, but that’s okay? Can you not see that this Constitutionally guaranteed duality is the thing that makes America great?

To me, being a “loyal, patriotic American” means that you believe all Americans (and those striving to become citizens) have an equal stake in their Country, regardless of their views or political leaning. That ideal is not an easy thing to achieve! No Country has ever done it better than the U.S.A. America is great!

I realize that a lot of my blogs are going to paint me as a Lefty; this is simply because I think the current Republican Party contains a lot of radical loonies. Trust me, if a future Democratic candidate proves to be as big a crook as Donald Trump, I will be writing with anger about him/her too! Any politician (I don't care which Party) who tries so obviously to subvert our electoral system is undeserving of being in a position of power or influence. When I write about 45, I do not mean to roll the whole Republican Party into my rant—just those who are blindly devoted to him and see him as the second coming.