It’s hard to stay in the middle when the right is so far to the right.

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When growing up in the 1970’s and 80’s my parents were staunch Republicans.  So, it was only natural that as a teenager I embraced the rhetoric of Reagan and the Republican party.  However, with time, I’ve seen a shift in where I belong politically.  In the early 1990’s I used to call myself a “Liberal Republican”.  As that decade came to a close I registered as an Independent -  “Brains not names” was my motto for voting.  I later moved more to the left and considered myself a “centrist” or “moderate”.  I now align more with the Democrats than with the Republicans and even find myself advocating for many Progressive policies.  Is this a political evolution on my part? Or is this because the centrist line keeps changing?

It’s hard to stay in the middle when the right is so far to the right.  I’ve repeatedly heard it said that if Ronald Reagan were running today he wouldn’t get the GOP’s nod.  Mr. Reagan would be too far to the left for many Republicans, especially those in the Tea Party.  Barack Obama seems much more like Reagan in his views, than Rick Santorum or (the current incarnation of) Mitt Romney.  Possible Republican candidates like Chris Christy or Jon Huntsman don’t fit into the new GOP for this election.  They are just too darn moderate and espouse common sense beliefs. 

It seems that the right side of the political spectrum has moved even further right.  As they do, it feels like a teeter-totter where the right is forcing the teeter-totter down and the rest of us are sliding towards them.  All I can do is hold on and hope that the teeter-totter will sway back toward the middle.

To see where you fit on the Political Specturm - try the test at The Polticial Compass.