It's the moderates that left the parties

In her recent column, Kathleen Parker decries the radicalization of both political parties, which she blames for the flight of centrists to independent status. While there is certainly some truth to this, I think that for the most part, she has her cause and effect backward.

Over the last 50-plus years, there has been a steady flight of moderates from both parties. Somewhere along the line, it became chic to be an independent, instead of working within one of the two major parties.

The radicalization of the parties is the inevitable result of this change: the extremists are left as the majority in each party. So, to all those independents, I say: "Come back." Pick the party you feel closest to, join, and work to change it into something closer to what you want it to be.

Being an "independent" is really just dropping out.

Franklin T. Adams-Watters

Palatine