College of Political Knowledge
2026 Election Series #1
To some these are different techniques in approaching government….but to me they are very similar.
AS the 2026 mid-term elections draws near there will be lots said in the MSM about these people…personally I think it is all so much bullshit but that is just me.
I will be write posts on all three of these so-called voters, some of it will be re-posts from days gone by that I wrote whenever I see these terms used.
Have I mentioned I think all that coverage is bullshit?
We know for a fact that Donny’s brand of MAGA will be on the ballot and many seem to think that will be enough to make people vote for Dems….I do not believe that….I do not care what the polls say….their predictions could be just so much farting into the wind.
But let’s look at the so-called political beasts….
| Feature | Centrists ⚖️ | Moderates 🤝 | Independents 🚫 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Definition | An ideological stance that deliberately mixes policies from both the left and the right. | A political temperament that avoids ideological extremism and favors incremental change. | A party status meaning the person is officially unaffiliated with any political party. |
| Party Affiliation | May be independent or hold membership in a major party. | Usually registered members of major parties (e.g., “Moderate Democrats”). | Strictly unregistered with major parties; rejects party labels. |
| Primary Goal | Finding synthesized, effective policy solutions regardless of political origin. | Achieving stability, compromise, and bipartisan consensus between opposing sides. | Evaluating candidates individually based on issues rather than party loyalty. |
| Ideological Consistency | Often highly opinionated with a consistent, balanced mix of views. | Generally sits closer to the political center of gravity but leans toward their home party. | Highly diverse; can range from radical libertarians to center-of-the-road voters. |
- The Policy Mix: A centrist might strongly support a robust social safety net (traditionally a left-wing view) while simultaneously advocating for strict fiscal conservatism or strong border enforcement (traditionally right-wing views).
- Examples: Organized political groups like the Forward Party or the Problem Solvers Caucus in Congress focus heavily on structural, centrist reforms like open primaries and ranked-choice voting.
- The Approach: Moderates prioritize governance, stability, and consensus over ideological purity. They are the legislators most willing to cross party lines to negotiate deals.
- Examples: Groups like the New Democrat Coalition or the Republican Governance Group are coalitions of moderate lawmakers who work to pull their respective parties back toward practical legislation. Recently, moderate Democrats launched initiatives like the “Promise to America” to explicitly reaffirm capitalist, non-socialist platforms.
- The Spectrum: It is a common misconception that all independents are middle-of-the-road voters. While many describe themselves as moderates, a significant percentage actually hold solidly conservative or liberal beliefs but choose to remain outside the two-party system due to partisan frustration.
- Behavior: They are typically swing voters who judge candidates case-by-case, or they are voters who feel completely unrepresented by modern political platforms.
There you have the ‘differences’ in the political terms….but to my way of thinking they are the same animal with minor differences….these are canned definitions.
The confusing one is ‘independents’….they look at all candidates without a party affiliation….but in reality they are just disenfranchised voters and will settle on one or the other of the political parties.
Then there is the dream of bi-partisanship….these days it is nothing more than a pipe dream and a not so funny joke.
These so-called voters are still supporting the corporate greed and corruption that both parties breed…..the voters hang onto the lie that either party can change the greed and corruption in politics.
Any thing to add?
Stay tuned for I will look deeper into each of these so-called voters and make my analysis known.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
Very informative analysis. My past attempts were oversimplified and pale in comparison. I had derided “centrists” as a moveable mid-point between two major political parties as each individually become more or less ideologically extreme with time; and, I had described “moderates” as occupying a generally fixed position between leftwing and rightwing ideology.
Personally, I am ideologically progressive. Both the Democratic and Republican parties are opposed to progressivism, and the minor parties have too little political power, so I identify as “independent.”