Off-topic story time: A few years back I had a conversation with a friend of mine. I knew we both leaned left on a lot of the same things but this particular day we started talking about politics. Turns out he was a rather devoted democrat. I eventually came around to mentioning my belief that the two-party system was the worst thing about our democracy and that both parties basically exist only to fight each other, which means rationality is by default excluded from US politics.

Wow, he did not like that one bit. I'm pretty sure we would still be speaking today if I just lied and said I was a republican!

Well, I wouldn't stop talking to you for thinking that - if you are a decent person with the attempt to defend your points, I wouldn't want to sever that for a single misunderstanding or disagreement.

To move off-topic, it is infuriating that people think the Democratic party (and the people who vote for that party) are effectively the same in their stated policy goals as the Republican Party.

I believe the two party system is awful, and I think the need for large reforms of our voting systems to something (anything) other than first-past-the-post is critical. Golly Gee, which party is advancing infrastructural changes to voting and districting for the advancement of democracy?

Two party system is bad. Democratic party has its own issues of political machinery and infighting. ALSO they are objectively a hell of a lot more pro-democracy and pro-America than the Republican party.

It always amuses me how the prevailing criticism of moderates or centrists is always some compliment levied in a scathing tone. Those dastardly centrists, always waiting for conclusive information before jumping to conclusions!

>Those dastardly centrists, always waiting for conclusive information before jumping to conclusions!

The problem isn't that they are waiting for conclusive information -but that they pick "both sides" out of moral cowardliness. When people accuse them of "both sides" it's cowardice that they're being accused of.

Cowardice aside, Centrists and Moderates are not people who are sitting on the sidelines carefully weighing the issues.

Far from it!

It would be useful to do some reading on who and what "Centrists" really are about:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-moderate-middle-is-...

https://novaramedia.com/2019/12/11/the-centrist-delusion-mid...

https://www.vox.com/2014/7/8/5878293/lets-stop-using-the-wor...

It’s not cowardice, it’s that centrists or moderates are looking at issues rather than teams, so on some issues they’ll vote Republican and others Democrat. But partisans don’t understand the concept of “trying to do what’s best for one’s country”, so they can only understand this as “fear of committing to a team”.

It is cowardice when it's used as an excuse to not commit to a stand on an issue, and a lot of people do take issue with that.

But this is a strawman. There’s no evidence that any significant portion of centrists are so motivated.

> Those dastardly centrists, always waiting for conclusive information before jumping to conclusions!

While it is appealing to believe that moderates/centrists really did look at all available data and came to a principled conclusion from first principles, I somehow doubt that that is the case.

That’s not necessary. Centrism and moderation are justified merely by a lack of evidence. E.g., I don’t know enough so it’s imprudent to make a drastic change in either direction.

The moon is made of cheese, agreed?

I'm either too smart or not smart enough to understand your quip.

The average person does not have enough evidence to refute that the moon is not made of cheese. That does not mean one should hear out a lunarcheesist.

My argument is that we shouldn’t make drastic changes without ample evidence. Your moon cheese analogy doesn’t address this at all.

You should still use common sense to determine courses of action when you don't have evidence.

Absolutely, common sense is almost always avoiding drastic, often absurd changes (e.g., abolishing police). You might say that common sense is fundamentally a moderate position.