From time to time I feel the need to explain myself to my readers.
But first off, thank you for reading. I know I must be a great frustration to you. Just when you think I’m going to go left, I go right. Just when you think I’ve become a conservative, I go the other way. I send mixed signals, usually in the same post.
If that seems inconsistent to you, it’s perfectly consistent to me. I’m a moderate, center-left, nonpartisan Democrat. Let me explain.
Moderation is as much a way of living as it is a form of political commentary. I believe in moderation in all things. I drink, but not too much. I’ve cut my red meat consumption, but I’d never be a vegan. I like to cross-country ski, but I’ve never done a Birkie. I’ve done half marathons but never the full deal. And, when it comes to politics, I’ll settle for a half loaf most days and, on really bad days, even the crumbs look pretty good to a guy who’s hungry for any progress at all.
Being center-left is an ideological distinction. I support the free market as the basic way of organizing our economy and our society. But I don’t think the market has all the answers all the time. The broader society holds values that the market, left entirely to its own devices, might not respect. So we need sensible regulations to, for example, protect workers and the environment.
And my political designation of “nonpartisan Democrat” has two parts. I’m a Democrat in the sense that, given only two real choices, I find the Democrats generally closer to my views than the other guys. And that’s become even more true now that we’ve lost the old Republican Party as it once was, and it has been replaced by a cult of one very bad and very weird man.
So, I always find myself voting for Democrats. In fact, I’ve voted for only one Republican in my whole life. That was Donald Hanaway for attorney general back in 1986. Hanaway was a moderate Republican, when there was such a thing. But I voted for him because his Democratic opponent, Bronson La Follette, had disqualified himself in my book by having some shady dealings with lobbyists who were also his business partners.
But here comes the “nonpartisan” part. I don’t avoid criticizing Democratic pols or the party as a whole when it does stuff that I don’t agree with or which I think is politically stupid. (And there’s a lot of that going around these days.) And I won’t criticize a Republican just for being one. In the rare moments when they do something I agree with, I don’t have any trouble saying so.
I find myself in the middle, shading to the left of dead center. On the one hand, the Republicans have just gone off the cliff, devolving into something very close to a fascist party. And yet the Democrats have evolved into a party of condescending, college-educated snobs who hold views on social issues that I find both odd and extreme. What I mean by that, mostly, is the penchant on the hard-left to view everything in terms of race and gender, literally black and white. They see a world of victims and oppressors and all that matters is your membership in one group or the other, a membership assigned to you and over which you have no control.
By stark contrast, I see people primarily as individuals and mostly responsible for their own lot in life. I think people have a lot of personal agency. I don’t see them as helpless victims of the system. I believe in a color blind society. I’m for equality but not “equity,” which has come to mean active discrimination to make up for past discrimination. And all of that sets me apart from a good chunk of the activist part of the Democratic Party.
As the late liberal political columnist Mark Shields used to like to say, “Politics is about making converts, not punishing heretics.” But I often feel like the activists in the Democratic Party are looking to burn people like me at the stake.
Now, of course, the sins of each party are not equal. The Democrats, still my party, are mostly just very annoying. The Republicans are now pretty much fascists. So, I remain a Democrat. I’m blue, but light blue. (I actually wrote a whole book by that title, “Light Blue.” Sales were slow. I think most people have been waiting for the movie, probably. I hope to line up Clooney to play me.)
When I was coming up in politics this kind of thinking wasn’t at all unusual. As reported in an excellent piece on this overall subject by Thomas B. Edsall in the New York Times, in 1994, half of Democrats described themselves as moderate while 25% said they were liberal and 25% identified as conservative. Today, the percentages are 55% who say they are liberal or very liberal, 34% moderate and 9% conservative.
So, I was once solidly in the majority of my party and today I’m an outlier, a significant minority, but still a minority. Moderates like me do not define my party and, I believe, that’s the main reason we find ourselves in the wilderness. The image of my party is just way too far to the left, especially on social issues, to be acceptable to a broad swath of voters. In fact, according to CNN, the party has its lowest approval rating — only 29% —- since that has been measured. The fascist-Republicans? They’re at 36%.
My wife and I have a place in the Upper Peninsula. When I’m home in Madison, I feel like a conservative. By the time I arrive in Watersmeet, I’m a Marxist. I figure somewhere north of Stevens Point I fit right in. The trouble is that that area is sparsely populated.
A version of this piece originally appeared in Isthmus.
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Yellow Stripes & Dead Armadillos 
Dave I feel that I’m in the same boat as you. However, I have voted for more republicans and independents than you have. My first presidential vote went to John Anderson and I’ve kind of voted that way since the early 80’s. So I’ve been a very moderate vote for most of my adult life. That was until the MAGA crowd showed up which push me further to the left. Not because I’ve moved further to the left but I’m not even close to what the current republican party stands for. I think you are correct that the real GOP is gone.
In the current political climate with the far right so far out there it nearly impossible to vote for anything in the right or close to moderate right. I think that MAGA has defined anyone on the left of center as a bleeding heart liberal or worse. At times I thought maybe my political slant was more Libertarian. But I can’t see my same views and beliefs with that bunch. But I’m not so far left that I’m on board with the current Dem party. But I can appreciate where you stand because I also stand with you. But we are far out numbered. Thank you and I will continue to check in on your blog.
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I did imply that we’re in a minority, but I don’t think that’s quite right. Our views don’t hold sway in either party, but I don’t think either party speaks for the majority — or at least a plurality — of Americans. I actually think candidates with this general orientation would win a lot of elections. Trouble is they can’t get nominated by either party because those with more extreme views are the gatekeepers.
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I like contrarian views (when they make sense) and you put forward many which is why I engage here.
But let’s face it we’re primarily old guys navel gazing here. Nothing said here is moving the needle, not by much anyway.
With that in mind your position on the left/right spectrum depends solely on how you vote. You have proven yourself to be a lefty in this regard. You are not a moderate, even on the lefty scale.
I do give you credit for voting for the fascist Brittany Kinser. Maybe you can find a way to vote for more fascists in the future.
Remember kids:
Controlling the southern border: Fascist
Sending billions and billions to Ukraine to continue another forever war: Annoying
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One Eye I also like to debate and question when I see contrarian views when they make sense. That’s one thing that’s missing from today politics. You are ether one way or another, there’s only black and white. No shades of gray. Which I think was one of Dave’s points. President Lincoln’s cabinet was filled with different political views. Which he wanted so that he was getting everyones view point which he felt would lead to better decisions. That makes sense. My motto has always been “Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn”. Or like the modern philosopher Frank Zappa once said- “A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.
I’m curious about why you feel Brittney Kinser is a fascist? You are welcome to have your own opinion of her but what leads you to that conclusion.
Also not sure I’m following your thoughts on Ukraine. We haven’t really sent billions and billions to them. As a matter of fact most of what we’ve send them has been military supplies that we no longer need or have better equipment to replace them, so we no longer need them. The money that has been sent will be repaid with interest. Not sure why that would annoy you.
USAFacts reports.
“From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 through December 2024, the United States allocated $182.8 billion in emergency funding for the region. But “allocated” means the money is available, not that it’s been spent: So far, the United States has actually disbursed $83.4 billion in funding and equipment, some of which Ukraine will have to repay with added interest.
Aid for Ukraine goes through a cross-agency operation called Operation Atlantic Resolve (OAR), which began after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 to deter Russian aggression against NATO. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the operation shifted focus to address the needs of Ukraine and other partners.”
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Don’t mean to get in the middle here. But I don’t think One Eye thinks Kinser is a fascist. He was just razzing me a bit for putting all folks who are supported by Republicans in that category.
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Dave covered the Kinser comment.
As for Ukraine, Zelenskyy doesn’t think the aid was a loan:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/russia-ukraine-war/us-aid-to-ukraine-provided-as-grants-not-loans-zelenskyy/3490950
Probably a negotiating tactic and final result has yet to be seen.
Trump has some major diversity in his admin! RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard most obviously. People forget that Elon always supported Democrats until recently (funny enough he was not an Oligarch back then). I also like the true science based appointments of Marty Makary and Jay Bhattacharya.
Kamala would have had a diverse admin too with the Cheneys in key positions (shudder).
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I consider myself to be right of center, at one time I was like way right of center, but I do not worship on the alter of political correctness or climate change. so that would make me a Fascist in most peoples mind, but I am very OK with this.
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“The image of my party is just way too far to the left, especially on social issues…”
Out of curiosity, on what social issues do you think liberals are out of line with the mainstream besides transgender children/sports? Or are you referring to racial discourse as well? Because on abortion, homosexuality, sex education, marijuana legalization, the mainstream is firmly on our side.
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The transgender stuff is potent — athletics, gender affirming treatments for minors, the bathroom stuff. The most effective Trump ad was the one attacking Harris for supporting sex change operations at public expense.To be clear, I don’t think biological men should compete in women’s sports, but I also don’t think Congress or legislatures should be making laws about this stuff. Leave it up to the sports governing organizations. In reality it’s not that big a deal. Unfortunately, in politics it is that big a deal. It also seems to me that irreversible gender treatments for kids before puberty are a bad idea. But here again, if that’s the family’s decision I don’t think government should interfere. It’s not my call. Again, the politics of the issue are bad for the Dems, whether you and I think it should be or not. But there are other social issues. DEI is very unpopular and that includes a wide swath of policies from employee training programs to rewrites of American history. Here again, I’m supportive of telling a complete story of our history, but there does seem to have been an overcorrection. I think America is a great country with serious faults, not a nation built on slavery and irredeemably racist. Then again the overreaches of BLM and Me Too and “Defund the Police” get laid at the Democrats’ doorstep whether that’s fair or not. So, that’s what I mean when I say that the Dems are perceived as being too far to the left.
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