The Moderates

In the Dec. 2 New Yorker, Jill Lepore wrote about how divided the two main political parties are at present. "The more you know, the more likely you are to vote in an ideologically consistent way, not just following your party but following a set of constraints dictated by political ideology. . . . What makes a voter a moderate . . . is not knowing very much about politics." (Lepore here is conveying the ideas of someone else.)

That's interesting and a comfort to those of us with strong views, but I'm not sure what "not knowing very much" means here. It might mean that you don't know who your state senator is, or it might mean you don't know that your congressional representative wants to abolish Social Security. There are many kinds of low information voters, including those who argue that there is no difference between the Republican and Democratic parties. There are moderates who understand politics but have values that favor moderation in all things, ranging from ice cream to racism. They work for PBS.