Stay centered and vote moderate!
I don’t like demagogues, revolutionaries, or charismatic leaders. I prefer politicians who are as middle-of-the-road and monotonous as me. I like those who serve as ballast, sitting in the center of the boat and suppressing dramatic rocking actions.
I want political progress to inch along slowly, deliberately, and contemplatively, rather than dramatically jumping back and forth. And I want to read about it not on the front page of the newspaper, but somewhere around page 10.
I prefer political leaders who hem and haw. I like them best when they scratch their heads and say such things as, “Gee, I don’t know,” “Shucks, maybe,” and “Heck, I guess so.” I like a legislator who votes for or against a bill and then later says, “Hmm. Maybe I should have gone the other way.”
That’s because I want our politicians to be reflective. They’re making important decisions that affect our lives, so I want them to cogitate carefully about what they support and what they resist.
Let’s not hold it against them when they waffle. Allow them to change their minds a dozen times. There’s a difference between being vague and evasive, and frankly admitting, “I don’t know.” Evasive politicians have already decided. They just don’t want to reveal their decision. But the truly indecisive ones are candid about their inability to make up their minds.
Am I right? I think I am. Or maybe not.
And I believe those leaders are dangerous, who pound the podium with thundering declarations, while stirring up crowds and making news headlines. They make politics exciting, but they also put everyone in peril. They stir up movements that inspire equal and opposite counter-movements. The resulting conflict polarizes our country, destabilizes our institutions, and hamstrings progress.
At least, that’s my view.
Family members turn against each other. Violence against those who disagree with us becomes acceptable. And the economy suffers when the present is chaotic and the future contains great uncertainties.
What do you think? Correct me if I’m wrong.
But moderate politicians have a soothing effect on society. They help us keep calm, stable, and on steady footing. Sure they may be monotonous, and at times exasperating in their indecisiveness. And their mealy-mouthed speeches do have a soporific way of inducing comas. But when you listen carefully, you’ll find them complex, thought-provoking, and empathetic to all sides.
This is my current belief.
Tomorrow is Election Day. I encourage you to get out and vote, if you haven’t done so already. And please be careful, deliberate, and reflective in the manner in which you vote. Yes, please be boring tomorrow. As you study your ballot, take your time. Look for those candidates who interest you the least. Avoid the exciting ones. Seek out the eggheads, the nerds, and the wishy-washy, mealy-mouths. And put your “X” by their names.
Vote moderate!
(But only if you really want to.)
Categories: Politics
Chasing Unicorns 
Yes! I agree TG. Give me a leader who is reflective, who is not afraid to say I was wrong, I’m sorry, and I will do better next time. Why are there a dearth of these people in leadership positions??? Rhetorical question…
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Maybe they haven’t been exciting enough to win votes. But I’m hoping the pendulum will start swinging toward the middle. I could use a little boredom in politics, these days.
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I agree with wanting to elect thoughtful, reflective people. As a progressive myself, I’ve always thought that we need some (god not all like we have now) people on the far left and the far right. That way, when things work as they should with compromise (remember that?), the result is somewhere in the middle.
But this time, I think that it is important to vote straight blue. We need to let the GOP in the House and Senate know what their job is — to be an independent check on the president.
Vote BLUE!
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With most Republicans openly supporting Trump, just about any Red vote seems extreme to me. I’m willing to agree that Blue is your best chance to find the middle, this election cycle.
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Agreed. Now which way do I go to vote? Hell I didn’t even know there was a vote. What’s it for?
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It’s our mid-term elections, where we vote for members of the House of Representatives and Senate. And a lot of governor’s and other miscellaneous elections.
The Presidential election will be two years from now. But after the mid-terms, the race for President starts ramping up.
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Oh man. Then we get to start being tortured by all the election campaign adds that attack each other. Sigh…
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Yep. Over the past year, potential candidates have been jockeying for position. Now the ones who decide they’re going to run will start forming exploratory committees, and then start announcing that they’re running next Spring. That’s how it works in the USA. We’re all about elections, ad nauseum.
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You sure are. Sad too how much money is spent on these bashing campaigns that could be better spent say paying our Vets more ect..
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Yeah, it’s just a big clown show. Funny sometimes, because it gets so silly and ludicrous. But it’s mostly nauseating, to me.
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Definitely nauseating.
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like him or not
vote for Tippy 🙂
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thanks for that
moderate endorsement
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I’m not big on wafflers. Politicians need to be clear about what their position is on the issues and stick with it… most wafflers say one thing to get people to vote for them, then do something else to please whoever paid them off. Extreme Bernie, whose views have never wavered, could have won the presidency by a landslide in 2016… moderate (read: waffler) Hillary couldn’t pull it off. I’m with Elyse, voting straight BLUE this time. They may not be perfect, or in complete alignment with my values but holy hell, they’ve got to be better than what we’ve got now. 🙂
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I prefer wafflers over pancakers, but either one tends to get syrupy with their speeches. But the eggheads are my favorites. They’re salty with their knowledge, and pepper their speeches with facts. But whoever wins, I’ll get over it easy.
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That’s aeesome, Tippy. Something has made me hungry for breakfast.
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The choices on our ballet for Senator and Governor are limited to Terrible (Republican) and Awful (Democrat). No moderate anywhere in sight.
I will be voting for:
Mickey Mouse
Donald Duck
Pluto (the dog, not the planet)
Cinderella
Etc.
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Sounds like a storybook ballot. Or at least, you’ll be writing in a storybook. What’s with it with Florida, anyway? Every election seems to be razor-thin close. Can’t you guys ever find a candidate that everyone can agree on?
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If Mickey would run, he’d get the vote . . . but he’s 90 years old and keeps pretty busy at Disney.
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A moderate sounds really good right now. All the hyperbole in recent years is wearing me down.
…. do moderates even exist anymore? I thought they all went extinct.
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A moderate in politics really would be refreshing. Maybe there’s a few hiding under some rocks. I think our choice these days is mostly “extreme” vs “less extreme”.
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