I’ve lived in the world of politics, literally, my entire life. My very first memory is of Ronald Reagan standing on a stage, somewhere in the distance, as he spoke about something not understood by a child, and I held my father’s hand. When Reagan was shot in 1981 I was six years old and my mother helped me make a “get well soon” card for the man who loved horses as much as I did. I still have the autographed picture he sent me, of him on his favorite horse, hanging on my wall. Lou Cannon once said, “the greatness of Reagan was not that he was in America, but that America was inside of him.” I often wonder what he would say were he with us today, understanding the obstacles we face as a nation. Would he wonder where all the moderate conservatives and liberals have gone? Would he like the direction in which a lack of moderates has driven both parties? I’m not going to attempt to answer that question but instead I want you to consider the questions I’m asking of myself, use your brain, do your research, and come to your own conclusion. Because, the truth of the matter is that we all have America inside of us, and that, is what will save us in the end.

There is no way to know Reagan’s opinion, of course, but I do wonder where all the moderate republicans and democrats have gone. In all the years that I have observed the political arena this is the most blood hungry crowd I’ve ever seen. Never has our country been more divided and, it’s to the point now, that most of us are unwilling to bring up any political issues outside of our own circle. But, you see, I think this is a large part of the problem. Those of us who lean more to the middle fear retaliation from the far left, right or perhaps both if we say the wrong thing in a crowded room. Proclaim yourself to be pro-choice and yet fiscally conservative and watch the daggers fly. You believe in global warming and the creation theory; beware of the tigers waiting to pounce. Unfortunately for the rest of us, those two factions would rather fight to the death, bringing us all down with them, rather than compromise. Someone actually said to me the other day, “compromise will be the demise of this nation.” How can we expect to get anything accomplished, EVER, if we outright refuse to compromise? Before we can come to an agreement we must talk to each other. You can talk about these things, disagree, and remain friends. I do it all the time and what I find is that, honestly, I have more in common with my fellow man than not.

It seems to me that there are exactly three ideas a person must support, which the extremists of both parties, would have you believe are the only things separating us from the animals. In order to really be a republican, and not a RINO, one must be pro-life, against Obamacare and for lower taxes and smaller government. Unless of course you are Rick Santorum, in which case it only matters that you are pro-life. But, I digress. To really believe in the democrat party, and what it has become in 2012, you must be pro-choice, in favor of Obamacare or some type of socialized medicine, and you must truly believe that the 50% of Americans who are currently paying 100% of all federal taxes should pay even higher taxes. Is that really it? Is that all we care about? I can tell you that there is much more to the puzzle than that, as far as I’m concerned. And I know that there are many more of you who feel the same way. Politics has become so ugly that most of the country has tuned out and now we are being outweighed by those who participate, but we are not outnumbered.

I’m not happy with the direction our country is headed in, so I know I do not want another four years of the status quo. Like many of you, I do not fit perfectly into either of the molds I mentioned. However, I’ve never been willing to sit still and allow other people to make decisions for me. I’m voting for Mitt Romney for president and I’m going to be very loud and proud of that fact. The far right has done a bit of a number on the former governor of Massachusetts and the far left will likely do the same. After the ruckus of the conventions dies down the mud will begin to fly and we will see a different type of fight, but most of the familiar faces will remain the same. There is one thing that our current president can never claim to be, based on his policies over the last three years, and that is a moderate. Though, you will likely hear Mitt Romney called that name over and over again. Just remember, moderate has eight letters not four, and listen to that little piece of America inside of you that whispers “compromise is the only way to move forward”.