Moderation

It's been a long time since I tried to figure out how my views square with liberal, progressive, conservative or radical (right or left) viewpoints that are all over the Internet or in print. I never liked labels, anyway. They seem at once reductionist and are too often misinterpreted.

One of the reasons that I am so comfortable with Barack Obama's victory is that I think he struggles with the same questions that I try to confront.

As I get a little older and, with any luck, a little wiser, I find myself thinking about so many issues that divide us and wonder why there are not more people who leave room for some disagreement without taking those disagreements personally and finding common ground.

If you read most of my posts, it's fairly clear that I could be categorized as an unrepentant liberal guy who has nothing better to do than force my views down someone else's throat. That has never been my intention. I cannot think of too many issues where there is not a shady spot where everyone could just cool down and listen to another point of view that fell within the range of where I stand. Pick any topic: Iraq, same-sex marriage, global warming, world trade and so many others.

When you read any of my posts and think I'm nuts, I hope you will tell me why. The Internet changes all the rules because you can weigh in on anything in two minutes and feel like you have said your peace. That is the kind of democracy that I love. I learn a lot from those responses, whether they appear here or on my Facebook page, and I have actually changed some of my views as a result.

We don't need celebrities or elected officials to tell us what to think. In the kind of democracy that I think about, ordinary people can take care of that themselves and, at the right time, vote your conscience.