Centerfield

The Reaction is an excellent blog and Michael would fit in well with this blog. He is liberal (I didn't think that was a crime yet), but he is respectful of conservatives and I think we could use some more left-of-center posters.

There are some contributors here that I would consider conservative and find other contributors liberal. The overall tone of the blog is center which is its intent.

I would add that by and large the tone of debate on here is more respectful than I find on other sites. People are willing to stand up strongly for their beliefs, but not take it too personally when those beliefs are challenged. I recently had a very good conversation with Brian (bk) that started out very forcefully on both our parts, but ended up with us largely in agreement.

The reaction is liberal (is there such a thing as a moderate-liberal or a moderate-conservative) but hey maybe we can "moderate" his ways. Look it how much we've impacted Carla!

c3,

Sure there are moderates. For example, moderate liberals don't favor all aboliton of private property; you can keep your toothbrush. Moderate conservatives believe that life begins at conception, not when two people have their first date.

How much more moderate can you get?!

Hey! My conservative induction packet said life begins when your dad and mom got that first twinkle in their eye, as they saw each other for the first time over the suddenly out-of-focus crowded high school dance floor... You mean that's not how it works?

Hello. Mine is one of the blogs that are under consideration. I just wanted to point out that mine is 100% political, but if you skim past the Spice Girls post at the top there's some good stuff about Sens. McCain and Obama:)

I almost feel shamed into posting something now.

Actually, that should be NOT 100% political. But give it a look anyways;)

Hello, everyone. I'm the author of The Reaction, also one of the blogs under consideration (with a new and hopefully more appealing look today). I'm up in Canada, though I tend to write more about the U.S. than I do about Canadian and international politics (though I do that from time to time, often just to take a breather). In addition, I would say that my blog is not 100% political either, though it is mostly. If I stray, it's only to consider the state of the culture, which is itself a political thing to do.

Am I moderate? I've always thought so. I'm certainly more moderate up here in Canada, where we have something of a center-left consensus that has kept the Liberal Party in power for much of our history. I'm certainly more moderate in the Northeast, where I attended high school (New Jersey) and college (Tufts). I suppose the rightward drift of the country -- or at least of political discourse -- the past several years has meant that my own centre of gravity has shifted a bit to the left. I'd like to think that the moderate centre is broad enough to include liberals and conservatives rather than a thin strip of non-partisanship, and one of the things I like about this site is that there's a healthy conversation within this broader middle.

But I certainly appreciate any feedback you all have and I have a great deal of respect for the people who run this site (and for the site itself). I prefer not to label myself -- all I can say is that my work speaks for itself, and, above all, I remain nothing if not independent, even if a number of my recent posts have taken the "liberal" side against, say, the Bolton nomination.

Here's a post I wrote back in April about what I call "the sober middle".

Indeed, one of the things that I don't like about the blogosphere (as a reflection of the current political climate) is the intense insularity that sets in, where bloggers end up only communicating within a like-minded community. Too much of this world is an echo chamber. The Decembrist (a liberal) has a good piece on this today.

Anyway, good stuff everyone.

Speaking of moderate blogs, there is one that we just learned about that Centerfield may want to add to its blogroll: The Literary Thug

http://www.theliterarythug.blogspot.com/

Its tagline is "My place of Discussion about classic literature, classic soul and moderate politics."

Through our blogmate Politopics (both of us are on Centerfield's blogroll - thanks!), we learned about a website called Low Country Movement out of Hartford, CT. Its focus: "The Emerging Centrist Movement and Its Implications For Black Independents"

http://www.lowcountrymovement.com/

The next person that refers to me as a moderate is going to get a smack.

:)

OK Carla, how 'bout "open minded liberal"?

I suppose the rightward drift of the country -- or at least of political discourse -- the past several years has meant that my own centre of gravity has shifted a bit to the left.

I didn't leave the party--the party left me!

If I had a nickel for every time I've heard something similar, I'd be living in Tahiti....

That's not the point. The point is that moderates generally oppose extremism, and that often means opposing the most pernicious extremism of the moment. Right now, to me, that extremism is on the right. Back in my college days, at Tufts, it was more on the left. Moderates may stay more or less stable, but the world around them shifts. It's a matter of perspective, not fixed ideology (which I think moderates generally abhor).

Note: The best exploration of this kind of non-partisan moderation may be found in the work of Matthew Arnold (upon whom I'm currently writing my Ph.D. dissertation in Toronto). In his more political works (like Culture and Anarchy), he argues for balancing the extremes through a sort of liberal Burkean pragmatism.

Still, enjoy Tahiti!

The point is that moderates generally oppose extremism...Moderates may stay more or less stable, but the world around them shifts. It's a matter of perspective, not fixed ideology (which I think moderates generally abhor).

Not arguing, Michael--I agree entirely. Fixed ideologies create immovable idiots.

Not in Tahiti. No one gives me the nickels. Sigh. I'd settle for pennies, and a time-share condo near the Colorado Flat-Tops.

Would you settle for recyclable bottles and a trailer in the Ozarks?