Modern Whigs Ask: What is a Moderate?

From the CA Modern Whig Party blog:

Some have accused moderates of a lack conviction or strong feelings.   Some have said moderate means you don’t care.   As Modern Whigs we defy this generalization.

So what IS a moderate?   Being a moderate means seeking results as more important than the means.  A moderate knows what they want to see, but does not cling to one path to get there.  A moderate feels strongly about his goals, but is willing to work with anyone who can present a realistic idea of how to get there.   A moderate will make comprimises on the methods, and will take small steps toward his goal if that is what it takes.

In addition, moderate speech is something we see all too little in politics.  It means that we can see both sides of an issue.  It does not mean we agree with both sides, but we have enough sense to know its a difference of opinion, or somtimes a difference of perception, or someone could be plain wrong.  We do no believe, in most cases, that others motivations are necessarily greed, corruption, or incompetence, for proposing an idea which opposes ours.

This is easy to write, and hard to put into words.   A couple of case examples from todays controversy can draw an excellent illustration.