Nerve Endings Firing Away

I understand why it is now – ideological lines are rigid, and anything members of “teh left” oppose members of “teh right” support, and vice versa. If Obama and the Democrats came out in favor of puppy kisses and free ice cream, the NRO would have a hundred op-ed pieces declaring puppy kisses to be the vanguard of the incipient liberal fascism. But how did it get this way? Why is not wanting 4.5 tons of toxic shit dumped into your lake considered “liberal?” Does anyone have a book that might explain things? [via Balloon Juice.]

Talking with respect to this ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, John Cole asks why your opinion on any public issue makes you choose between a liberal and a conservative tag. I have noticed this increasingly among Indian bloggers too who will slot you as rabid Hindutva goons if you say anything against the Congress. But it is definitely more intense with respect to United States politics.

I have several opinions that might put me in line with the conservatives especially when it comes to economic policy but the intense hate-riddled sentiment toward anything multicultural among the Republicans makes me run as far away as I can from them. I’m not going to take sides with a party whose most vociferous member look down upon me just because I’m an immigrant albeit a legal one. Their social policies run counter to even the most conservative positions in India. Although not all Republicans or conservatives think that way but at least the ones who are heralded as the future of the party do. There ae several liberal positions that I vehemently disagree with and suspect the intentions of most Democrats.

What do moderates like us do? Where do people who believe in a little bit of this and a little bit of that fit in? Based on what I have heard from many people both online and off, I’m not alone. But the media thrives on conflict so this silent majority is largely ignored.