I am an extreme moderate, and I will be silent no more.
We are the housecats of the political arena - so populous and common that we are almost completely overlooked, and always taken for granted. Loyal only to our families, and independent to a fault, we stand where idealism meets reality, evaluating everything with an open mind, hopefulness, and a strong dose of skepticism.
We are weary of the fanaticism that lies at the poles, tired of the bickering, and most of all, fed up at being ignored. We are the mainstream. We are the majority. Pundits joke hourly about the "undecided" and deride us as unsophisticated and unprincipled. But we are neither. We are too principled to accept the the narrow-mindedness of our only two options, and we are disgusted at having to chop off our curves to fit in either box.
Candidates and parties claim to be vying for our allegiance, all the while discounting our views (or rather, never asking them in the first place) and building their platforms further and further away from the center. I will not be a neat demographic slice for you - a "soccer mom" or a "feminazi". I will not allow you to stuff me in a pigeon hole outlined by your market research and pollsters. Because that pigeon hole is small, and limited, and frankly, reeks of shit and patronization.
In a country whose greatest liberty is freedom of the press, we should not have to dig for honest, unbiased news in obscure, inaccessible places. We should not have to fact-check our mainstream media, where pundits masquerade as news anchors.
You ask why newer generations do not turn out for elections, shaking your head and tsk-tsk-ing at our perceived apathy. I will tell you why: We believed what we were taught growing up. That America was the land of dreams and opportunity, with more freedoms than any other country. The land others aspired to, flocked to, and where we accepted new-comers who were willing to work and strive for the American dream as equals. We believed that our system of government was superior in its checks-and-balances, truly a government OF the people and BY the people. We believed that every vote counted, and that each of us had the potential to be president. We believed that we were the very banner of democracy, with a true separation of church and state, where ones morality trumped any specific religion (or lack thereof).
But as we became adults, what we learned was that America was willing to deprive whole groups of citizens of their rights and liberties. That America could turn it's back on allies and slam the doors on new-comers - even those who fought along side us for freedom. That the government was willing to exploit loop-holes in the checks-and-balances, following the letter but not the spirit of the law. That our votes only counted if you agreed with one of two parties, and that depending on what state you lived in, the electoral college could prevent yours from counting even then. We learned that no one was listening, even when we screamed and protested and wrote letter after letter. We learned that even the most white-bread, mainstream, wholesome-as-apple-pie American could be - and would be - sidelined in favor of radicalism on both ends of the spectrum.
And we gave up.
But I, for one, am no longer willing to throw my arms up in despair and walk away. I will match the vehemence of the fringe in my devotion to being level-headed, fair, sensible, open-minded, and flexible. I will vote in every election I can, and when I do not have a feasible option for candidate, I will write in my own name. I will find news from across the spectrum, challenging my own ideas and preconceived notions whenever possible. I will struggle with issues and try to discover solutions, rather than pointless complaints. I will change my mind after well-reasoned debate. I will grow in my beliefs and never forget the founding principles that every American holds dear. I will no longer let this system sideline me. I will remember that the bones of a revolutionary political system are still here, and that it is my duty as an American to resurrect that system and call upon it to function better than it ever has.
- I believe in a true separation of church and state - not only because it is one of the central tenets of our country, but because it is the only way to allow expansive freedom to those who are passionate about their religion.
- I believe the government should be run the way a company is run - a mom-n-pop company, not an Enron - which is to say with tight-fists, budgets, and minimal credit. Fiscal accountability is central to our ability to maintain our own internal systems, as well as our position in the global economy.
- I believe that as a general rule of thumb, less government is better. But I also believe that we have a responsibility to care for the least fortunate of our fellow citizens and to provide oversight in certain critical areas, like health care, education, and economic policy. I do not think the two are incompatible.
- I believe the United States should fight to restore its status as an innovator, removing barriers to invention, small business, and independent ventures wherever possible, while severing our ties to thinly-disguised monopolies and lobbies.
- I believe our borders should remain open to those who do not threaten our well-being. I believe current generations should be able to fight for a life here, just as my family did generations ago.
- I believe we should work to expand the liberties and rights of our citizens, rather than restrict them.
- I am unwilling to trade my rights, freedoms, and liberties for the promise of safety, no matter how tempting. I am not willing to sully the efforts and sacrifices of our soldiers by gouging out the core of our own freedom.
- As the grand-daughter of a man who was prisoner of the Japanese for more than three years, and simply as a human being, I believe torture is wrong under any circumstance, under any name.
- I believe our country's leaders should aspire to unparalleled levels of education, experience, idealism, compassion, and innovation. I believe, as intelligent people, they should be able and willing to try new approaches, admit failures, change their opinions based on the evidence at hand, and correct course without undue hesitation.
- I believe that as a population, we should likewise be willing to do the same.
I am an extreme moderate. I am listening, candidates. Are you listening to me?
Thanks to Cecily's recent posts about disenfranchisement and patriotism for giving me the inspiration to launch into this. And to the book Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali for giving me an opportunity to think about the U.S. from the outside looking in.
