Americans are finally experiencing rational government.  As the Obama transition progresses we watch, with hope and with fear.  The troubled world is scary and important decisions are at hand.  Nearly every day there is a headline in the news about the transition.  One day the media reports a ‘center-left’ process.  The next day another headline reveals a ‘center-right’ process.  The sum total of the news is refreshing.

The recent campaign for the Presidential prize was loaded with far left and far right rhetoric.  We heard reports of McCain championing war and Obama championing socialism.  The extremists were out in force.  It appears now that the extremists have lost this election.

“Who are we? ” Democrats and Republicans continue the fray.  The Republican ideologues foolishly claim that America is basically a conservative nation.  The Democrat ideologues are trying to reclaim the mantle of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society.  The ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality persists in the rank and file.  Barack Obama, when he finds a moment alone, must shake his head in dismay.

We are truly blessed to have President Elect Obama.  He is the one stable and rational hand on deck.  When the wind tacks to the left or the right he holds the wheel steady – steering the ship of state through troubled waters.

The latest polls show that about 36% of people identify themselves as Conservative, and about 19% claim the mantle of Liberal.  This 55% of the population are the loony fringe.  The Pew Research Center has gathered some interesting data to support these numbers.

This writer finds the interpretation of the numbers fascinating.  Liberals can claim that their ranks are growing.  Conservatives can claim they are holding a steady and solid lead.  Both miss the point.  There is a solid ideological center that determines the final result in election – and ultimately the direction of this country.

This is all good news.  There will always be ideologues – both left and right.  Reasonable thought is found somewhere in the middle.  Middle America certainly operates out of ideology.  Thinking people (those who do not follow fanatics) are reasonable people.  We are blessed in this country to have healthy debate by these thinking conservatives and thinking liberals.

Those ‘moderates’ recognize very similar values.

1. Moderates are people who want a healthy economy – they want businesses to make money and they want employees to have a decent wage – they recognize these principles are complimentary.  President Elect Obama is assembling a team of Economic moderates – Every time he makes an economic announcement the stock market trends up.
2. Moderates are people who want our country to be safe from foreign invasion – we do not need a military of total global dominance, but we do need protection and the ability to respond to those who would do us harm.  Moderates recognize there are bad people in the world and they readily confess that America is not an island in the ocean of foreign affairs.
3. Moderates are people who recognize the need for health care for everyone – and they want health care for everyone – and moderates recognize point number one in this health care equation.
4. Moderates are people who recognize the travesty of poverty.
5. Moderates are people who recognize and respect diversity of culture while acknowledging there must be commonality in civilized endeavor.  Commonality is found in areas where cultures overlap, where we must necessarily interact.  For instance: we must have common communications, common money, and common transportation.
6. Moderates recognize civilized humanity, they recognize and validate self will, they validate Capitalism as a healthy economic platform, they recognize the rule of law, they respect our system of government.
7. Moderates are people who seek solutions that are complimentary – rather than divisive.

In historical terms, moderation always wins.  And if history speaks to us today – then we can deduce President Elect Obama is on a winning course.  Center-left and center-right are both acceptable forms of governing.

There is hope for the future of American and the world.