Doug Bauman ‘29
Guest Writer
Somewhere in between the shouting matches of party politicians and the extreme views of either wing, there has always been another group in American politics. It’s a group that rarely has its voice heard, and it’s debatable that they even have a voice at all. It’s made up of the people who don’t agree with everything the Democrats say, but also don’t agree with everything the Republicans say. People who can support an idea they think is right even when it comes from the other side. It’s the Democrats and Republicans who aren’t afraid to question their own party. It’s the independents who have refused to succumb to the two party system and the moderates who are center left and center right that want to work together. I’m talking about the ever-increasingly “Marginalized Middle.”
When people hear the word “moderate” they usually assume it refers to a person who doesn’t have any strong political beliefs or that they just don’t care enough about politics and don’t want to say anything too controversial. Being a moderate doesn’t mean you are avoiding controversial topics; it can mean believing strongly in certain ideals while also being willing to listen to people you may disagree with. This group doesn’t necessarily agree on every issue, but they do agree that issues can be discussed and a common ground can be created.
In American politics today, you hardly ever hear the words “bipartisanship” or “compromise” anymore—it’s all about party loyalty and protecting party interests. The decline in ideological overlap due to increased polarization makes it incredibly difficult to find common ground with one another. The middle, watching as both parties slide further left or right, has developed the feeling that neither major party represents their views anymore. Can the Democrats really be considered the “Party of the People” if they keep losing support from the working class voter block? Can the Republicans still be considered the party of civil liberties if they keep silencing their libertarian wing? It seems that party leaders are increasingly trying to dictate what it means to be a Democrat or Republican and what each member is expected to believe. We are a part of a political system that forces people to fit their views into one of two categories even when many of the issues we deal with can’t be solved with a simple black or white solution.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve heard people say “how are we stuck with these two options” or the old line “just pick the lesser of two evils,” when it comes to voting for a candidate, and I think people need to remember that the lesser of two evils is still evil. A big reason we keep ending up with candidates whom few voters feel excited about can be attributed to the lack of a strong voice from the moderate factions within either party. Party elites have so much influence over who becomes their nominee, it is genuinely mind-boggling that the bases of both parties seem to have accepted this. This leaves the voters in the middle feeling like their voices have been overlooked before Election Day even arrives.
Recently, party power has only increased and each has been able to influence the electoral processes in ways that strengthen their own advantages. Through gerrymandering and closed primary election, each has been able to create “safe seats” in Congress. Research on Congressional elections has shown drastic growth in districts that have extreme advantages for one party or the other, reducing the competitive nature and fairness of the race. In districts that are gerrymandered and dominated by one party, the election is almost always decided within the primary. This effectively cuts out independent voters from having any sort of voice in the election, since the winner of the general election is very often determined before they even have an opportunity to vote. No political party should determine whether an elected official has a “safe seat.” The security of that position should rely solely on the trust and support of the people it represents.
The very existence of independents and moderates suggests that political identity is far more complicated than the old Democrat versus Republican system that’s been in place for decades. This two party mindset has been backed up by biased news organizations on both sides, which often push stories that help their agenda causing the facts to be skewed one way or the other rather than presenting the facts the way they are and letting the people decide for themselves. When political parties move further left or the right, the middle, where cooperation and problem solving are the core values, begin to appear radical simply because it refuses to take a side.
Image courtesy of the Fulcrum
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