When I'm Not A Moderate

I'm usually a boring liberal. But on some issues, I'm a frothing radical.

On most political issues, I’m a pretty boring, milquetoast moderate. I vaguely support a slightly bigger welfare state, tend to vote for Democrats, am in favor of capitalism, and nod and snap theatrically as I read Matt Yglesias pieces and sip my oat milk latte. If my political views were a hobby, they’d be bird-watching. If my political views were a sex position…that would be metaphysically impossible.

But there are some issues where I am a radical, an extremist, where I have strong views. There are some views where I shed my boring Bruce Banner exterior and turn green and muscular! There are some issues where I am a frothing radical, and I think you should be radical too; on these issues, I say hold beliefs that are wildly unpopular and outside the Overton window.

In what follows, I’ll describe the issues on which I think extreme radicalism is appropriate. I’ll additionally note a curious fact: on every single one, the Democrats are better, usually obviously so.

Probably the issue on which my political views are the weirdest and most radical is…