the word "moderation" hides a lot. pre-Trump, US institutions were tilted toward a center that, as you say, was really just a center-right status quo, neoliberal economics + social liberalism. 1/

but that has never been the center of US public opinion, which holds preferences that are quite social-democratic (though Americans don't recognize or understand that label). 2/

approval voting rewards voters near that popular center, not near the fake center elites defined during the 1980-2015 era. for a bit more on this, here's me… drafts.interfluidity.com/2024/03/28/h... /fin