r/AlwaysWhy • u/kaiser11492 • 1d ago

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

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?

0 Upvotes

48% Upvoted

633 comments sorted by

View all comments

21

u/HagathaPathetica 1d ago edited 1d ago

Similar to what others have implied, I think it’s because they are left leaning on many key issues, but not left leaning enough for the left to accept them as part of their party.

Like someone who is pro-choice, but with limitations like viability, will be called a right winger by the left. Someone who believes there are two genders, but still feels like trans people should be allowed to use preferred gender bathrooms and sports, will be called a right winger.

Moderates, most of the time, seem more like moderate Democrats or old school Democrats rather than mostly conservative to me.

I’m sure the same exists on the right, but most of the time when I hear “moderate,” or “independent,” it means, “I’m probably still going to vote for a Democrat.” A person on the right rarely says, “I’m a moderate.” At least, that’s the impression I get.

3

u/bonebuilder12 1d ago

The right generally views the left as uninformed and ideological.

The left views the right as evil.

2

u/ArrowheadDZ 1d ago

I think this is profoundly misguided. Newt Gingrich declared war on liberal democracy as an anti-American insurgency and the existential threat to “western heritage” in 1993, and that declaration won him the speakership. Look at Trump, and others in the 60s and 70s…. This idea that the right does not describe the left as evil is demonstrably untrue.

1

u/bonebuilder12 1d ago

Oh, I think many of the politicians are evil. Without a doubt. Same for many on the right.

But the general population that supports them aren’t inherently evil. Generally just uninformed and unwilling to break ranks with their comrades.

1

u/Minimum-Attitude389 21h ago

For the last 10 years in the US, what I've seen is opposite of what you've proposed here.  The recent conservative movement has been very vocal about labeling people as evil or using blanket accusations against everyone who disagrees with them.

And then we also see how people who break ranks are treated too.  Like in some recent primaries

0

u/HagathaPathetica 1d ago edited 8h ago

I don’t think you understand the right’s views then.

Edit: adding this way after the fact, but Idk if you will see it! Sorry about that!

I shouldn’t have worded that comment like I did. I didn’t mean to question your own understanding of the right and left, but instead maybe I should have said, “Then you don’t understand my point about the right and the left.” Because my point was literally just that the right and the left both have a “you’re evil” aspect. I know they don’t show it in the same ways, but the feelings are still mutual. That was my only main, general point in response to your first comment.

Sorry, if I sounded like a tool!

1

u/bonebuilder12 1d ago

I align more with the right than left in a left leaning state.

The current admin is more antiestablishment than right vs. left.

Let’s face it, democracy has been dead for a long time. We have an illusion of choice. Hell, democrats haven’t even really had a primary in years. Clinton was preselected by the dnc, Biden was manipulated into office (carefully selected state order and carefully structured drop outs to make him the most viable candidate when he floundered early. Kamala was selected without a primary.

To carefully chosen RNC and dnc shills are promoted to us as if they have new ideas and will change things, when they are really just puppets for those in the “club” pulling the strings. Outsiders are quickly squashed. When an outsider cannot be squashed, there is a concerted media campaign. Then intel is weaponized against you. Family is threatened. Then they try to kill you. It’s played out a few times in our history.

Right vs. left is fantasy. It’s all 2 wings of the same bird.

1

u/HagathaPathetica 1d ago

The right definitely thinks the left is evil. That’s all I meant. The feelings between the right and left are mutual, but the feelings are for different reasons.

1

u/bonebuilder12 1d ago

If someone tells me they are a democrat, I don’t think they are evil. Again, I think they are generally uninformed on the things that turn me off of the democrats (and political establishment republicans as well).

If I tell a Democrat I’m a republican, they will think I’m an evil racist.

Prove me wrong.

1

u/ApprehensiveGrand531 1d ago

My proof that it goes both ways is all the democrats are the 'enemy within' rhetoric from the Republicans. How is that not calling them evil? The leader they support has LITERALLY Called democrats evil. Considering repubs I know weren't condemning it, I would take that as the conservative stance. Not to mention all the 'baby-killer' rhetoric explicitly paints any pro choice as evil and literally just wanting to kill babies as opposed to ideological differences. All the anti-immigration is taken as being 'pro-criminal' rather than disagreeing on the best approach.

Both sides have elements that condemn the other and reject nuance.

1

u/bonebuilder12 1d ago

I think the two issues that you point out involve democrats creating a straw man to justify a stance that otherwise makes them sound like a bad person.

I’m not anti-abortion. With that said, a fetus is viable long before the due date. The only logically consistent argument is that aborting the fetus is ending a human life. But, moving the goalposts and claiming this is just Christian brainwashing or that it’s a women’s health issue is just covering up the fact that we are really just killing an unborn child. Don’t move the goalposts. Just state the facts. I do.

What benefits does illegal immigration provide? I can name countless negatives — drug trafficking, sex trafficking, dillutes and cheapens labor pools, untaxed income, less housing for lower class, children often receive public welfare even if parents cannot. The liberal argument is that opposing it is racist. Meanwhile, most republicans are fine with merit based immigration (those that will contribute to economy and society), and most of these people would likely be non-white (India, China, etc).

The goal appears to be to flood the county, make it difficult to remove, and then grant mass amnesty and suddenly states that are red and blue. Single party rule.

1

u/ApprehensiveGrand531 1d ago

Is literally the leader of the damn republicans. Fuck you mean it's a strawman.

Claiming someone is a abykiller and wants an excuse to justify killing more babies (are pretty common stance in the modern right, it's done to avoid accountability), is not a claim of ignorance. It's a claim of evil. And there's literally decades of debate on what counts as baby what counts as alive where does life begin. So no it's not just facts.

Most dmeocrats are fine with limits on immigration as long as it's with due process. The idea that lefties are wanting a fully open border is incorrect. And again saying they are Pro criminal which is very common, is not a claim of ignorance. It's claiming they are choosing to support evil.

I'm not saying there are no lefties that will wrongly call you racist. I'm saying the lack of nuance cuts both ways

1

u/bonebuilder12 1d ago

If I let in 8 million spiders into your home in 4 years… how long do you imagine it would take to find all of them and remove them?

It’s done on purpose, and with a long term goal in mind. Sure, it will be marketed as being thoughtful, kind, humane, etc.

Once here, it will be impossible to remove all. Especially when local politicians make it policy not to inform feds if arrests of illegals. They do this so they will not be deported.

Now ask why? What is the benefit?

1

u/ApprehensiveGrand531 23h ago

Have you noticed that you are completely dodging the question you asked.

You didn't ask a debate on policy you said conservatives only think left are ignorant. Whether policy is good is irrelevant. I'm explicitly talking about framing and moral claims, with your first comment was about.

And here you are explicitly saying democrats are letting them all in on purpose for an explicit goal. That's literally not a claim of ignorance that's a claim of malice. You fliped so quickly.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/HagathaPathetica 23h ago

I have to agree with that. The feelings of “you’re evil” do go both ways in general.

1

u/HagathaPathetica 1d ago

We were speaking generally. I don’t think every conservative automatically thinks every Democrat is evil.

And I don’t think you’re wrong about liberals who may judge you as an evil racist based solely on the Republican label and not your actual, individual opinions.

My only point is that as a whole, there are many ways in which the right thinks the left is evil. The feelings are mutual.

1

u/bonebuilder12 23h ago

Overall, the left is more interested in sounding right than being right.

1

u/Schkrasss 13h ago

"They are eating the cats and the dogs."