9.3.8: Centrists
- Page ID
- 212735
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Often situated in the middle of all these political philosophies are the people of the Midwest who seem to find some value in many of the political philosophies favored elsewhere. Midwesterners cling to traditional values, not unlike Southerners, but they are far less willing to deny political rights to individuals on religious grounds or historical customs. Midwesterners seem to prefer small government but are not particularly distrustful of it like libertarians.
The geography of the Midwest is critical in creating this situation. Part of the reason for the centrist beliefs of Midwesterners stems from the historical pattern of domestic migration to this region. The first Midwesterners started arriving in the early 1800s from New England, the Mid-Atlantic and the Upland South. International migrants came from all over Europe for generations afterward. Together, those migrants brought with them a vibrant array of political ideas from Colonial America and the Old World. Political compromise and open-mindedness became necessary in this heterogeneous society.
Figure Infographic- Political philosophies in the US tend towards the center of this diagram, and despite the US two party system, American political values fall into all four.
There is some measure of variability in political philosophies within the Midwest, some significant differences can be found even within Midwestern states. Ohio is a classic example of an intra-state left-right-center battlefield, making it the classic Swing State. Ohio is located geographically between several of America’s political traditions. Kentucky, on Ohio’s southern border, tends to be socially conservative, but New York isn’t far away. To Ohio’s west are vast stretches of lonely farmlands that seem to produce more libertarians.
Because Ohio is populous and contains a relatively even number of voters favoring elements of each of the major political orientations, it has been for many decades critical in deciding presidential elections. Columbus, in the middle of the state, is moderate, a bit more conservative in the suburbs than it is in the inner city or around Ohio State’s campus region. Cleveland, in the northern part of the state, is more progressive; thanks in part to its Yankee heritage and a strong history of unionization. Cincinnatians, on the other hand, act more like people from southern cities. They are socially conservative and resentful of government intrusions, perhaps more like their neighbor in Kentucky just across the Ohio River than their fellow Buckeyes across the state.