I was listening to the radio this morning, and the host had on some guests from the UT political science department who were talking about Supreme Court justices. At one point, the discussion brought up the (false) idea that our Supreme Court is fairly “moderate.” And then pretty soon, they mentioned Anthony Kennedy, and how he was a “swing-voter” who held a great deal of power. Being a swing-voter supposedly gave him more influence that the other justices.
It always kinda bother me when people marvel at the supposedly amazing power held by moderates. Think about it: Does Anthony Kennedy really have any more votes on Supreme Court cases than Justice Thomas has? Did Sandra Day O’Connor (another supposed moderate) really have any tremendous influence?
Assume for the moment that your town has 999 people and just held an election. 200 people didn’t vote, so there were only 799 votes. Candidate A got 400, and Candidate B got 399; it was a close race! Now imagine that you voted for the winner, Candidate A. Do you feel special? Did you really get to cast any more votes than anyone else? Did you accomplish any more than the other 399 people who voted for your candidate?
This glorification of these moderates needs to stop. John McCain and Lindsay Graham are not special because they’re moderate. Forming another “gang” of however-many Senators may get a person on television, but it fails to make him truly powerful or influential. His only influence is to take a weak position and dilute the goals of others. Going “maverick” certainly fails to make a person any more special than his colleagues who actually have consistent principles.
Justice Kennedy has no more power than Justice Scalia. John McCain has no more power than Jim DeDint. Rather than power, what these mediocre politicians truly have is a platform to make themselves look stupid. All they do is dilute and spout contradictory, unmanly nonsense. True power involves taking a bold stand for good and making a difference in society. Throwing a wrench in the gears of your own party, on the other hand, just makes you a rebel without a cause. Whereas honorable men align themselves firmly with conservative principles, and whereas wicked men align themselves firmly with socialist principles, moderate men simply align themselves with no one. They are lukewarm.
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth,
everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
~ John 8:34
Being moderate does not make a person special. Some people think that being moderate frees them because remaining “independent” will help them avoid enslavement to the ideologies of others. These moderates broadcast their independent spirit as if it makes them cool. But really, being independent usually just makes them slaves of their own ineptitude.
