Think Moderates!: Recasting Public Debate to Feature Moderates & Solutions

In Think Moderates, Milton King makes a strong case for changing public debate from an unproductive focus on extremists, problems, and off-centered public life to a more productive focus on moderates, solutions, and balance. He shows that turning to moderates for solutions and balance is a Hobson's choice because conservatives want to take us too for backwards, and liberals want to take us too far forward. For ultra-conservatives refuse to acknowledge that significant changes have taken place in society, and ultra-liberals refuse to acknowledge that certain traditions are grounding traditions and shouldn't be discarded. Moderates turn out to be the only ones who can balance the two forces and help us regain a semblance of national equilibrium. The author acknowledges that though moderates possess the right temperament and the right attributes for the task of restoring sanity to public life, as of yet, they haven't developed the requisite group consciousness that would move them to organize and establish an adequate public persona as conservatives and liberals have. However, he sees in their current strong reaction to the out-of-control extremism an incipient group-consciousness developing within certain circles. For a number of moderate bloggers have built respectable online followings. But moderates in general are not part of this developing group consciousness. So one of his goals is to take the significant discussion going on among moderate bloggers and their followers, develop it, and make it known to a wider audience, not only among moderates but also other activists, public servants, etc. His research reveals that moderates would need to accomplish seven tasks in order to become the force majeure they should be as the majority cohort. He draws on history, philosophy, sociology, and family systems theory to make the case that one of the public roles of moderates is to be a force for balance and equilibrium. He uses the current culture war and political po