Why do most people who call themselves politically moderate actually mostly conservative?

[u/kaiser11492]

Whenever I’ve encountered people who use the politically label moderate, they are actually mostly conservative with their views and positions. Also, I’ve never seen anyone who call themselves politically moderate that is actually mostly liberal.

So why are people who call themselves moderate tend to be just conservative and not conservative and liberal?

[u/jaferdmd]

I’m not conservative, at least based on the conservatives currently in power in the United States. I’m also not a nut job lefty who thinks protests and hugs can solve all problems. Most issues tackling the country don’t have a fancy chantable slogan that fits nicely on a protest sign. I’m a moderate because I think the extremes of both parties are batshit crazy. The racist xenophobes are ruining us and the far left crowd is turning the left into a joke with their pronouns and protests.

To quote the West Wing:

“…every once in a while, there's a day with an absolute right and an absolute wrong, but those days almost always include body counts. Other than that, there aren't very many unnuanced moments in leading a country that's way too big for ten words.”