I have a friend who claims to be part of the vast and powerful "moderate middle".  He further boasts that he and his like-thinking independents are the "king makers" in every election.  He will regale you with tales of his philosophical journeys during each and every election, seeking to impress with the depth of his deliberations.  Often he claims that, so great was the intellectual burden he faced, he could not make up his mind until the moment that entered the voting booth. 

I would, on occasion, talk with him about the politics of America.  When I would ask him about the fundamental underpinnings of his political belief structure, he would reply that he was socially liberal but fiscally conservative.  

Hmmmmm, how conveniently "middle of the road" I thought. 

I would ask him how he planned to pay for the socially liberal programs that he saw as the duty of America.  He would invariably reply that he felt the rich needed to pay more in taxes.  When I asked him how much money that would produce, he never had an estimate.  He just felt that the rich should pay more because it was only fair.

And so, the discussions end with me shaking my head and he feeling he had enlightened me. 

I am offended by such "middle of the road moderates" who claim to hold the course of America in their hands.  I have found that their experience base is shallow and their facts mushy.  Their "deliberations" are invariably swayed heavily by the MSM coverages and their claims of fiscal conservatism are, at best, cheap window dressings to hide their liberal leanings.

Having almost never started, owned, or even operated a small business, most of these "middle of the roaders" are dependent on government payrolls and pensions.  They never risked much by way of financial endeavor and they risk even less in the outcome of an election.  Still, they are pandered to in the run-up to each election day.

Well, Romney carried the majority of the independent vote on November 6^th, and lost the election by a large margin.  Many conservatives felt that Romney was too "kind and gentle" in the final days of his campaign, seeking not to come across as too harsh an advocate of conservative principles.  The "middle of the road king makers" were ineffectual as a voting bloc.  Worse, the conservative base stayed home from the polls thinking that Romney had little or no passion for their cause.

Now conservative America pushes forward for four more years trying to keep their businesses going and provide for their families.  But, as George Bernard Shaw so eloquently stated, those who will rob Peter to pay Paul will always get the support of Paul. 

And so, the "great middle of the road king makers" have unwittingly become just another part of the "Pauls".

Richard Kline Phoenix, AZ