| In the world of politics, people who describe | | | | exhibit an utter disregard for reason and |
| themselves as moderate share in common a | | | | rationality. In most western countries this is not |
| handful of fundamental beliefs. These people are | | | | an issue like it is in the United States of America. |
| united not around a party or organization but | | | | Statistics from polls that ask Americans about |
| around a certain worldview. In this article I am | | | | their beliefs in science and evolution are absolutely |
| going to tell you the most important things you | | | | disheartening to the average person of sanity. |
| need to know about what defines a moderate. | | | | After having a president for the last eight years |
| Oxford dictionary describes a moderate as an | | | | that disrespected and misunderstood science, the |
| "individual who is not extreme, partisan or radical". | | | | numbers should not come as a shock. Regardless |
| People often use centrist as a synonym with the | | | | of whether one votes as a moderate |
| term but it should not be used interchangeably. | | | | conservative or moderate liberal, a belief in |
| Moderates can be centrists, but they can also be | | | | science is imperative to being able to justly hold |
| classified either as center-left or center-right on | | | | the 'm' word in their title. |
| the classic political spectrum. There is a significant | | | | Middle-of-the-Road Politics |
| degree of flexibility when it comes to party choice | | | | Moderates often describe themselves as |
| for these individuals as they have very pragmatic | | | | "independents", not affiliating themselves with any |
| tendencies when it comes to voting. | | | | specific political party. However, they can favor |
| There are, nevertheless, a select few beliefs and | | | | one party over the other, hence the terms |
| characteristics that ties every political moderate | | | | moderate Democrats and moderate Republicans. |
| together. They are listed as follows: | | | | When moderates' party of choice starts to move |
| Common Sense and Reason | | | | too far to the left or the right, they can become |
| A moderate's thinking about political issues is | | | | uneasy. Candidates who take far left or right |
| founded on the premise that they think with their | | | | ideological positions are not appealing to average |
| heads. Meaning, they try to not let their emotions | | | | moderate voters. When the media reports that |
| get in the way of making decisions on often | | | | independents decide elections in places like the |
| difficult and complex issues. They understand the | | | | United States and Canada, what they are really |
| various implications both positive and negative that | | | | saying is that moderates decide those elections. In |
| could arise from taking one position or another on | | | | the U.S., the last two Democratic Presidents were |
| a given topic. Thus, moderates try to vote as | | | | moderates, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. George |
| rationally as they can. Moderates weigh the | | | | W. Bush campaigned as a moderate with the |
| importance of one thing versus the other and | | | | slogan "compassionate conservatism" but |
| decide which one is truly more crucial and will be | | | | governed mostly as an ideologue. In Canada, the |
| more beneficial to the society in which they live. | | | | Liberal party of Canada defines itself as a centrist |
| They also have a tendency to vote pragmatically | | | | moderate party and dominated Canadian politics |
| or "strategically" when the occasion warrants such | | | | for most of the last 100 years. These kinds of |
| behavior. The moderate despises irrationality, | | | | parties are most attractive to moderates. |
| which leads me to the next section. | | | | I believe that these three aspects best describe |
| Belief in Science | | | | what a moderate is and what he or she believes |
| I strongly and personally believe that a belief in | | | | in. In the world of politics, moderates know how |
| science is absolutely essential to the identity of a | | | | to work together and how to get things done. |
| moderate. To discredit the basics of science is to | | | | |