The center of the electorate is the loser due to political gimmickry

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Political parties not listening to center
By Robert L. Russell, November 15, 2013

In 2012 Democrat candidates for the House of Representatives received 1.4 million votes more than Republicans, though the latter won a 53 percent to 47 percent majority in seats, due to the gerrymandering that produces strong majorities for both parties in selected districts.

No doubt the Republicans have practiced better politics over the last 30 years, and they win more as a result. However, who are the losers? Because of this practice, we elect extremists — on the left like John Olver of Massachusetts and Linda Sanchez of California, and the right like Randy Neugebauer of Texas and Doug Lamborn of Colorado.

How does anything get done in Congress? It doesn’t!

The talking heads of television and radio want us to believe that we, the people, are conflicted, with an extreme void between red and blue; they are apparently color blind to purple.

True, Washington is polarized to extremes as evidenced by the recent government shut-down. At the same time, professional pollsters from both sides of the aisle agree that the voting electorate is more interested in issues than rigid ideologies.

In August 2013 two major polling entities conducted a nationwide survey. Public Opinion Strategies, the lead pollster for Mitt Romney in 2012, and the Benenson Strategy Group, pollsters for President Obama in 2008-12, co-opted with NBC News and Esquire Magazine to identify the political center lying between the bleeding hearts (21 percent) of the left and the righteous right (24 percent).

The people of the center voted 56 percent to 42 percent for Obama in 2012, but will cross the aisle when a candidate speaks to them. While they typically mix and match preferences between Democrat and Republican policies; a full one-third do not feel that anyone in Washington represents their interests.

Two out of three believe that America is still the greatest country in the world. However, the center is skeptical going forward, with over 80 percent believing that the U.S. cannot continue to police and finance the entire planet. The center is socially progressive. Over 60 percent support gay marriage, the right to an abortion for any reason within the first trimester, and a federal minimum wage hike to no less than $10 per hour.

Six out of 10 think that churches and religion should have no role in politics. A majority supports legalized marijuana. Conversely, the center is conservative on the environment, capital punishment and mandated diversity programs. They, by a margin of 4 out of 5, support offshore drilling and about 6 out of 10 want to keep the death penalty and end affirmative action. About a third of those in the center own guns, and almost 50 percent of them have no problem with background checks, while another 22 percent want better enforcement of laws currently on the books. They want the government to waste less money and lighten up on burdensome red tape and regulation. The center wants a system that ensures the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes and that requires corporate polluters to assume culpability for environmental damage. Only about 25 percent support immigration reform, with a path to citizenship, for those are here illegally.

Richard Nixon introduced us to the silent majority in 1968.

It is alive and well at the center of the electorate, and its members are the losers due to political gimmickry. They find the extremes of the spectrum to be irrational, and want their country back. The center is tired of being categorized by groups that resort to name-calling if one lacks a perfect Political APGAR score.

The middle is full of patriotic, thoughtful citizens that deserve a place at the adult table. In fact they are probably the only ones that should be seated. They will join the group that best speaks to their issues and makes room in its tent for constructive criticism. Are our political parties listening?
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