In the current American political climate, the pre-eminence of parties has become more evident as the patchwork of red and blue states divide the country.

The political polarization of America has, perhaps, never been more evident than during political discussions over the war in Iraq, Social Security and the appointment of Supreme Court justices.

So, amid this divisive situation, I'm something of an anomaly in my political views.

I'm a moderate.

I pick positions from both the Democrats and the Republicans and don't adhere to a certain party line.

No, I'm not going to end up being someone who defends every action of the current administration, which has made its share of mistakes, but neither will I vilify the administration to the point that I compare it to a fascist regime.

In a proportional representation system of Europe, I would probably be in a Centrist Party, matching my individual beliefs or a coalition might provide me the moderate representation I seek.

For example, on some social issues I take a liberal stance, while I tend to have more conservative views on economic issues.

In political debates with my friends, I don't quite fit into either Republican or Democratic ideals because I don't take a strong party line.

Thus, I'm a political science major who is, well, not outspoken about politics.

I'm not against those who take a strict party line in a two-party system, quite frankly, because your beliefs will ostensibly be represented well by your candidate. It seems that the word moderate has become a dirty word in our culture and has come to stand for one who vacillates and is unable to take a firm position on important issues. I may get a few weird looks or comments to the effect that I don't seem to care very much one way or the other about politics.

Apparently, it has somehow become necessary to shout louder than the opposing party, merely to make your voice heard and vehemently drive home your point.

Perhaps one of the problems I have with political parties is that it seems that you have to drown out the opposing party with a pre-emptive strike of rhetoric. It seems that genuine compromise on many issues has given way to strict adherence to the party standard on both sides.

And as a moderate, whom do you support?

During the campaign process, conservative and liberal viewpoints take center stage as political candidates attempt to differentiate themselves from the opposite side.

In states such as Pennsylvania, with closed primary systems, voters must also register as either Republican or Democrat to take part in primaries and may lose the ability to determine for which candidate they want to vote.

Perhaps the most prominent problem with party polarization, which I fear we may experience more strongly in the future, is the lack of opportunity for a mutually beneficial compromise. It seems sometimes that compromise is only considered when political infighting between the two parties reaches such a point that it is the only possible outlet to resolve the dispute.

However, I think that, from my personal experience, perhaps there are more potential moderates who feel compelled to vote either Republican or Democrat. To those moderates, I'll just say this: As long as you feel secure in your own views, you needn't let anyone influence you to conform to their set of beliefs.