Schmoderate

People who proudly describe themselves as "moderates" or "independents" are irksome. Those terms are inherently self-congratulatory: moderation and independence, as personality traits, are positive value judgments. And yet describing people as political moderates really doesn't make much sense. That's because "right" and "left" are more or less arbitrary designations that lump a lot of disparate beliefs into one big amorphous piece of dough. There is no philosophical reason that I can see for people to simultaneously oppose abortion and support the death penalty; oppose governmental intervention in economic matters and support it in personal affairs; support capitalism and reject gay marriage; or oppose strong trade-union rights and approve of teaching creationism in schools. (And vice versa, for the left).

It's not necessarily contradictory to hold those sets of beliefs, but it certainly is arbitrary. The coalitions came about for purely political reasons, not at because there is any kind of moral dictum that says the side that supports universal healthcare must also support Yglesian internationalism. And so describing yourself as "moderate" doesn't automatically mean you're a sensible, measured person who really looks at all the evidence and makes a considered, responsible decision each election, as such self-branded moderates seem to want to proclaim. It just means you either haven't made up your mind, or hold positions that happen to either intersect with both parties or not fit into either of them.