It's happening. All across the United States, the personal and political views of the twenty and thirty somethings are becoming harder and harder to categorize. Twenty years ago, the independently minded voter and thinker was a novelty; an endangered species found in its native habitat of hookah bars, new wave green movements and the occasional conservative educational institution. (wait, did you just say conservative educational institution?!) And why should it have been a popular mindset? After all, in a post-Reagan world, the economy was on the rise, stocks were soaring, energy costs low, fuel sources abundant and a gallon of milk didn't cost $3. Home loans were easily accessible, the job market was booming, healthcare was affordable and a gallon of gas was 88 cents. 88 cents! Internationally, the US was unquestionably the world's singular superpower. The Cold War was over, foreign relations were sound and aside from an occasional spat in the Middle East--what's new, really--times were generally peaceful. We were exploring space, making computers as common in a home as a microwave and the technology sector was getting ready to explode. No one needed to question their fairly standard political or moral belief systems. Republicans were the conservative, less government, lower taxes, pro big business, pro life, gun toting, strong military crowd. Democrats were the moderate, more government, higher taxes, pro small business, pro choice, war hating, pro women group. Now let me interject for a moment. I use the term 'moderate' to describe the Democrats of twenty years ago because by today's standards they were very moderate, even somewhat conservative. In fact, many of who I term 'the new moderates' would have been extremely liberal Democrats in the past. As they say, it's all about your perspective and today's perspective most likely has our grandmothers rolling over in their graves, or more accurately, in their Lay-z-Boy's thanks to modern medicine. But I digress...
As we advance as a society, so do our values and belief systems. Our priorities shift, social issues change and while we are doing all of this growing and developing, so are other nations. Sometimes when I read the headlines or see the evening newscasts, it helps to remind myself that while our nation may actually be 225 years old, that makes us about 16 in nation years. (Kind of like dog years, only with about a 14:1 ratio.) Ah sweet, sweet 16. Just old enough to think halfway through the occasional important decision and young enough to make a lot of really stupid ones. The question, naturally, then is how do the people of this great, albeit teenage angst ridden nation categorize themselves in regards to their political and personal belief systems? And perhaps more importantly, how do the younger generations differ in perspective from the rest of the demographic? That's the goal of this blog. We will examine everything from politics to pop culture and how it influences our views as a society. We'll attempt to address issues from various points of view, encouraging you to consider alternatives to your own personal perspective and to analyze how you arrive at your own conclusions. There won't be any 'right or wrong' take on things. And we'll dive head first into the thoughts of the growing number of Americans whose beliefs seem to defy logic and classic party divisions. Those darn independents who seem to flip flop on who they support and what issues are the most important to them. Independents, who happen to be the fastest growing, hardest fought for and often race determining, demographic in American politics today. And while many may call themselves Republican or Democrat and even register as such to vote in primary elections, dissecting their viewpoints often results in tow-the-liners scratching their heads, baffled. These New Moderates are often too liberal on certain points for the traditional red elephant and too conservative on others for the typical blue donkey. The New Moderate is a rapidly spreading concept that is both uniting and simultaneously fracturing the political and social groups throughout the country. So hang on to your iPhone. You just may end up diagnosing yourself as an unwitting member of The New Moderate.
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