Moderate Republicans of the World, Unite!

From every study I’ve read or heard, and from my own personal observation, most of the country is moderate. Not wishy-washy. Just not convinced that the extreme side of an issue is necessarily the correct one. You wouldn’t know it listening to radio or watching TV. Everyone is polarized and extreme. It makes for better TV and radio.

An extreme stance on an issue usually isn’t very productive. Not only is it politically impractical, but it’s often not all that sound. Life seems to be designed so that most of the time there are no easy answers. This notion galls purists, like libertarians, who want all issues decided by nice neat little formulas.

But zealots get more attention. Zealots in the media on issues like immigration would have us believe that they speak for the “People.” They tell us what the “base” wants. They know because they’ve been out on book tours, and everyone who shows up for book signings echoes what they believe. What a surprise. So when a political issue comes up they don’t like, they stir up anger and unleash their loyal listeners on key Senators and Congressmen, who get flooded with email and phone calls, and are eventually cowed. And Voila, the voice of the “People” has spoken!

This Blitzkrieg method of influencing public policy has worked pretty well. The accepted wisdom apparently is that candidates for the Republican nomination must now be hardline on immigration if they want to win. Even John McCain appears to be distancing himself from his once tenacious position on immigration reform. The position on his website now seems to fall in line nicely with the acceptable talking points. The President is one of the few major Republican figures who apparently hasn’t been fazed by the constant drumbeat in the new media and talk radio.

What’s so startling is that this issue is not new, and Bush was elected, not once but twice, making his position well known. What is new is that the so-called spokespersons for the Republican Party, pundits and talk-show hosts, have handed down their edicts on the matter, and that seems to be that. Don’t let the “Elites” shove reform down your throat!

There’s no question that something must be done to curb illegal immigration. But is the country really draconian on how to deal with the hard-working, decent ones who are already here? Or are we hearing a vocal minority? The way the Republican Party took in it the shorts in 2006 suggests the latter. Senate Republicans, who had been more willing to compromise on the issue, did not take near the hit the Congress did, where Republicans felt the political heat to be intransigent. Several politicians who ran on a hard line stance were defeated. J.D. Hayworth and George Allen had been shoe-ins in the past until they became shrill on the issue.

Whenever he has run for office, Pat Buchanan has been clear as a bell on issues: a staunch social conservative, protectionist, immigration hardliner, anti-Nafta, etc. He would appear to mesh well with the vocal crowd that claims to speak for the “People.” We all know his political track record. Maybe the “People” are not as hard line as many try to tell us.

The problem is: how do you coalesce moderates? It’s a little easier to unite those who see issues like abortion in black and white. “All abortion is murder!” “ No, it’s my body – I’ll do what I want!” What would be the slogan of the moderate on the abortion issue? “As much as I personally find abortion horrifying, it should be legal in the first trimester, although there should be parental and spousal notification and informed consent, and the health of the mother should be considered, and states should have a say-so, and courts should interpret law not make law?” That wouldn’t fit very well on placards or bumper stickers. There’s not even a label for a middle-ground position. You’re either pro-life (like Mitt Romney) or pro-choice (like Mitt Romney).

What label could you have for the middle ground? Pro? Kind of like the name Prince went by a while back? (I can’t find that symbol on my keyboard).

On immigration, the moderate position likewise does not fit well into a sound-bite: Strengthen the border, stem the flow of illegal immigrants, provide for an ID system and stronger work-place enforcement, and provide a path to legal status for those who have been here for some time and have shown themselves to be decent members of society, provided any back taxes and a fine is paid. A little cumbersome. But you would think such a reasonable approach would at least be worth putting to a vote in Congress. Nope, it makes idealists livid. You might as well ask Inspector Javert to cut Jean Valjean some slack.

Moderates, probably by definition, don’t generally have knee-jerk reactions to issues. They ponder them, discuss them, and modify their position until they believe they’ve reached the correct one. While they’re pondering, the black and white crowd has already mobilized and taken to the streets. The moderate position is nuanced and therefore doesn’t lend itself well to the formation of a grassroots movement. How does a groundswell movement spring up on a middle-ground position? “Some, but not all, abortion should be illegal! Come on guys, let’s go!”

It’s much easier for extremists. For the pro-choice zealot, any restriction on abortion, no matter how reasonable, is heresy. For the hardliner on immigration, even the DREAM Act, a bill which would have provided a path to citizenship for individuals who came to this country when they were children and had no choice in the matter, was an outrage. Let them continue to live in the shadows even though the U.S. is their home. Too bad! Life’s not fair! What part of illegal don’t you understand?

Is a moderate approach sometimes not the best course of action? Of Course. Fighting Islamic terror is a good example. Even moderation needs to be exercised in moderation! The point is that every issue needs to be examined on its own, and the tendency to automatically align with the extreme side of an issue is not productive.

Whether the vehemence of the pundits and bloggers on immigration is reflective of the will of the people will soon be seen. In the meantime, the GOP, in Wile E. Coyote fashion, is strapping the hard line stance on its back and getting ready to head for the cliff. Maybe this time it will resonate with the American people…

So where does a moderate go to be heard on the issues? To the polls.