Since “The Moderates’ Manifesto” became available online. In that brief time span, I communicated with several people about the book and why it would interest them.
One factor stands out when I say that the book has the premise that the political extremes should be ignored in favor of policies and practices supported by the 70-80% of people in the middle of the political spectrum; people respond, “It’s about time!”
There seems to be a hunger for more middle-of-the-road solutions to the problems we face as a nation. I believe all of us have grown tired of wing-nuts getting media coverage and personal attention for ideas that are farther and farther from historic norms and time-tested societal methods. And that’s why Patti and I had multiple discussions that led to the creation of “The Moderates’ Manifesto.”
In that regard, and to give just one example, there are several current proposals for changes to the United States Supreme Court. One party probably says, “No changes at all! Leave it just as it is.” One party probably says, “Make all these sweeping changes now, all at once!” I would personally say, “Start by enacting an enforceable code of ethics for the Supreme Court. All other courts have codes of ethics or codes of judicial conduct. Why should the highest court be held to a less (or nonexistent) standard?”
A major flaw of the two major political parties is the expectation that party followers must adhere 100% to all party principles. The more moderate approach would be to carefully select the governmental principles from both sides that most nearly meet the evolving needs of the majority of the American people. “Moderates of the World, Unite! You have nothing to lose but the chains of extremists!”