Parola Perspective: We voters must decide what we hate more: Extreme polarization or mealy-mouthed moderation.

By Brooks Parola. Purple Walrus Press.

I can remember a time before Reagan where people's excuse for not voting was based on the notion that the candidates and parties were all the same. And, of course they appeared that way, because the electorate wasn't so polarized. Since moderate voters dominated the electorate, candidates were forced to be moderate and bipartisan too.

As screwed up and corrupt as our electoral process is folks, we voters must decide what we hate more: Extreme polarization and partisanship, or moderation where we are faced with mealy-mouthed candidates who don't seem to stand for anything. Yes, we're all very good these days at standing up for our principals, refusing to compromise, and chastising all of the candidates who don't pass our purity tests. But the bottom line is if that's the way the electorate is, than polarization and extreme partisanship will continue to produce gridlock in Washington.