| Of course, although large numbers in both parties claim to be moderate, it depends on what one considers mainstream. If one thinks that Al Gore is a "moderate", well, a lot of people would beg to differ. I, for example, think it is the moderate position to let a benediction be offered at commencement, as was customary until recently. I do not think that it constitutes "establishment" in any meaningful sense, and therefore there is no reason to deprive the majority of an activity that seems fitted to the occasion. I think that anyone who would entertain the idea of regulating salaries on the basis of "comparable worth" is, ipso facto, a social democrat, but I have known people who objected to that characterization. I think that the moderate position on affirmative action is to affirm outreach and the use of race as a weak selection criterion, but to eschew quotas, timetables, and race norming, but I know a lot of people who not only think that is a conservative position, but that it is racist. Thus, self- characterization is a faulty way of determining "moderation"......... |
