Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

[obviously right]

Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

Those that are one of these three, why did you choose that as opposed to one of the other two?

 

[Fisher]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

Those that are one of these three, why did you choose that as opposed to one of the other two?

Because on some issues I am a flaming liberal and on others I make Rush Limbaugh look like a flaming liberal :afraid:

 

[obviously right]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

That doesnt really make sense. Did you read the question? What makes you an Independent as opposed to a Centrist or Moderate?

 

[Fisher]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

That doesnt really make sense. Did you read the question? What makes you an Independent as opposed to a Centrist or Moderate?

Because Centrist and moderates go to the middle or are MODERATE. I tend to the extremes--sometimes in a liberal way (immigration for instance) and sometimes to the conservative way (debt/economy for instance). If I were a centrist or a moderate I would be happy with mediocre, feel-good not going to do a damn bit of good legislation but I am generally not, ergo......

 

[Spencer Collins]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

Those that are one of these three, why did you choose that as opposed to one of the other two?

I'm an Independent voter,I have no allegiance or fidelity to any political party. A Moderate or Centrist are terms that can be applied to a specific party. The true Independents vote must be "earned" each time as they have no core ideology to guide them. Independents are also far more open to compromise. For the Independent,everything is debatable when selecting a candidate but at the end of the day,we do take a stand on the issues. Being an Independent is a very lonely place to be,we are trusted by no one on either side but often our vote decides the outcome of an election. I both envy and pity "partisans",they belong to a party and share in their "team spirit" but they often decide issues solely based on loyalty to their party.

 

[obviously right]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

Because Centrist and moderates go to the middle or are MODERATE. I tend to the extremes--sometimes in a liberal way (immigration for instance) and sometimes to the conservative way (debt/economy for instance). If I were a centrist or a moderate I would be happy with mediocre, feel-good not going to do a damn bit of good legislation but I am generally not, ergo......

10-4, good explanation. So theres no difference between a Centrist and a Moderate then?

 

[Redress]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

That doesnt really make sense. Did you read the question? What makes you an Independent as opposed to a Centrist or Moderate?

A centrist would tend to take positions towards the center of the political spectrum. A moderate could be further out, but still not to the extreme of either end of the spectrum. An independent is one whos views may be extreme, but is not consistently left or right. All of that is a gross oversimplification, but roughly accurate.

 

[Fisher]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

10-4, good explanation. So theres no difference between a Centrist and a Moderate then?

Not to me really. Maybe to others. Perhaps one could argue that centrists try to pull the two poles together toward the middle and a moderate just always is in the middle. IDK. I really don't use the "Centrist" word often.

 

[obviously right]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

I'm an Independent voter,I have no allegiance or fidelity to any political party. A Moderate or Centrist are terms that can be applied to a specific party. The true Independents vote must be "earned" each time as they have no core ideology to guide them. Independents are also far more open to compromise. For the Independent,everything is debatable when selecting a candidate but at the end of the day,we do take a stand on the issues. Being an Independent is a very lonely place to be,we are trusted by no one on either side but often our vote decides the outcome of an election. I both envy and pity "partisans",they belong to a party and share in their "team spirit" but they often decide issues solely based on loyalty to their party.

So what party or parties can Centrist and Moderate be applied to? If everything is debatable, how do you determine what issues you want to take a stand on? (By the way, Independents did not decide the last election as Romney won the Independents, but lost the election, because the Republican base didnt turn out.)

 

[obviously right]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

A centrist would tend to take positions towards the center of the political spectrum.

How is that a position? I get the rest of what you said though, thanks.

 

[jonny5]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

Those that are one of these three, why did you choose that as opposed to one of the other two?

I chose independent to show that I did not support either of the two dominant political parties or ideologies. Centrist means neither leaning left or right but somewhere between them, and moderate typically means committed to left or right, but leaning towards the opposition.

 

[jonny5]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

I'm an Independent voter,I have no allegiance or fidelity to any political party. A Moderate or Centrist are terms that can be applied to a specific party. The true Independents vote must be "earned" each time as they have no core ideology to guide them. Independents are also far more open to compromise. For the Independent,everything is debatable when selecting a candidate but at the end of the day,we do take a stand on the issues. Being an Independent is a very lonely place to be,we are trusted by no one on either side but often our vote decides the outcome of an election. I both envy and pity "partisans",they belong to a party and share in their "team spirit" but they often decide issues solely based on loyalty to their party.

Independent can also mean an independent core ideology, just not of the two dominant ones. The common meaning is not registered democrat or republican.

 

[Redress]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

How is that a position? I get the rest of what you said though, thanks.

It is not a position, it is an ideology.

 

[obviously right]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

I chose independent to show that I did not support either of the two dominant political parties or ideologies. Centrist means neither leaning left or right but somewhere between them, and moderate typically means committed to left or right, but leaning towards the opposition.

Newsflash, you chose Libertarian. LOL Thats actually an example of where I was kind of headed with this.

 

[Muddy Creek]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

Those that are one of these three, why did you choose that as opposed to one of the other two?

There are VERY few independents. MOST "independents": nowadays are republcians.

a Centrist is a moderate'

cen·trist
/ˈsentrist/
Adjective
Having moderate political views or policies.
Noun
A person who holds moderate political views.

 

[Muddy Creek]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

The actual stance on issues of a political moderate can vary significantly depending on the era and the country they live in. As issues change, the concept of politically moderate viewpoints changes as well. Many people who would have been described as political moderates in the 1800s could be considered fringe extremists in more recent times, and the same can be true for different countries or locations. For example, a moderate viewpoint in one nation might be on the far fringe in another nearby country, and the reasons for these differences may be cultural or religious.

Some individuals who could be described as political moderates actually hold some beliefs that aren't necessarily considered middle-of-the-road. In cases like this, the designation of political moderate is based on the whole spectrum of their political beliefs. Even though they may hold a few beliefs on the far edges, their overall philosophy is much more centrist. Many moderates don’t really feel comfortable with any political party, but their views often lean in one direction or another to some degree.

What Is a Political Moderate?

Sums it pretty good, I think.

 

[Spencer Collins]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

So what party or parties can Centrist and Moderate be applied to? If everything is debatable, how do you determine what issues you want to take a stand on? (By the way, Independents did not decide the last election as Romney won the Independents, but lost the election, because the Republican base didnt turn out.)

Both the D's and the R's have Moderates and Centrists no? During the decision making process the Independent is not bound by party loyalty like the partisan is,we are free to explore the candidate and be more objective in our final decision. Also..I didn't say that Independents always decide the outcome,here's what I said "often our vote decides the outcome of an election"

 

[obviously right]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

It is not a position, it is an ideology.

An ideology of not taking positions on anything?

 

[jonny5]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

Newsflash, you chose Libertarian. LOL Thats actually an example of where I was kind of headed with this.

Libertarian is an independent ideology.

 

[Redress]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

An ideology of not taking positions on anything?

Taking a central position is taking a position...

 

[obviously right]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

Both the D's and the R's have Moderates and Centrists no? During the decision making process the Independent is not bound by party loyalty like the partisan is,we are free to explore the candidate and be more objective in our final decision. Also..I didn't say that Independents always decide the outcome,here's what I said "often our vote decides the outcome of an election"

I dont know, do they? If so, I guess the terms should be "Moderate Republican" or a "Centrist Democrat"? Trust me, I know the party line of the Independents, no pun intended. You are correct, that is what you said. As a matter of fact, I retract what I said anyway. The Independents did determine the outcome of the last election. It was the Republican party's effort to get their vote that left the base at home and assured defeat. eace

 

[Helix]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

i picked independent because i vote for individual candidates, not for parties. i am interested in issues; i don't root for teams.

as for moderate or centrist; yes, i am on some issues. on others, i'm not. that's why independent fits me best.

 

[obviously right]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

Taking a central position is taking a position...

So what is the central position on abortion?

 

[Redress]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

So what is the central position on abortion?

You could have several stances that could be considered centrist. States right issue. Legal but with restrictions. And so on.

 

[obviously right]

Re: Whats the difference between an "Independent", "Moderate," and a "Centrist"?

You could have several stances that could be considered centrist. States right issue. Legal but with restrictions. And so on.

Ok, I would argue against that, but would be getting into semantics. I.E. saying abortion is a states rights issue is not taking a position on abortion. Legal but with restrictions is pro-choice in my book. But, I see your point.