I guess I'm moderate.
But that really isn't my fault. The end of the 20th century is marked by this really weird polarization in the between the political parties. All the big button issues now fall into one category or another, without rhyme or reason.
I know some will find this a distressing concept, but things like Pro-life, and Pro-death penalty are strange bedfellows. Same thing with being Pro-civil liberties and pro-gun control. While they seem to make perfect sense to those toting the party line, the rest of us don't know who the hell to vote for. And I think some weak souls end up swallowing the rest of the package when they really only care about a couple of items. By the same token, many abandon certain beliefs just because the opposition has identified it as theirs.
While not such a bright idea in and of itself, it would be interesting if we voted on individual issues without attaching them to a party. It might be an interesting exercise in party forming as Pro-gun/Pro-choice or Christian/Church&State seperatists may actually show themselves as voting blocks.
Of course, half the "issues" that go in front of Congress are laughably stupid, and no one should care. We're fighting a war, have economic troubles, security concerns, intelligence concerns, etc, and Congress is discussing "the gay marriage issue". Wow, what a waste of taxpayer's time.
To answer the original position, people who spend a lot of time on this type of discussion are all extremists, but not of the same stripe. I'm an anti-extremist extremist, which is why I end up arguing with people that would proudly announce that they'd kill fellow citizens to defend family. Or with someone who thinks they're part of some elite that "knows better".
But that really isn't my fault. The end of the 20th century is marked by this really weird polarization in the between the political parties. All the big button issues now fall into one category or another, without rhyme or reason.
I know some will find this a distressing concept, but things like Pro-life, and Pro-death penalty are strange bedfellows. Same thing with being Pro-civil liberties and pro-gun control. While they seem to make perfect sense to those toting the party line, the rest of us don't know who the hell to vote for. And I think some weak souls end up swallowing the rest of the package when they really only care about a couple of items. By the same token, many abandon certain beliefs just because the opposition has identified it as theirs.
While not such a bright idea in and of itself, it would be interesting if we voted on individual issues without attaching them to a party. It might be an interesting exercise in party forming as Pro-gun/Pro-choice or Christian/Church&State seperatists may actually show themselves as voting blocks.
Of course, half the "issues" that go in front of Congress are laughably stupid, and no one should care. We're fighting a war, have economic troubles, security concerns, intelligence concerns, etc, and Congress is discussing "the gay marriage issue". Wow, what a waste of taxpayer's time.
To answer the original position, people who spend a lot of time on this type of discussion are all extremists, but not of the same stripe. I'm an anti-extremist extremist, which is why I end up arguing with people that would proudly announce that they'd kill fellow citizens to defend family. Or with someone who thinks they're part of some elite that "knows better".
