Moderate Thinking and the Modern Whig Party

At Moderate Thinking, Nils Bergeson thinks through the differences between three terms that are often bandied about in both the corporate and independent media as if they were simply synonymous – namely 'independent,' 'centrist' and 'moderate' –, and makes a persuasive case for their rigorous distinction. Some short excerpts:

Independent. I start with this term because it is the easiest. When one identifies themselves as an “Independent,” they are referring to their party affiliation, or in this case, lack thereof . . .

Now let's look at the Centrists. This term refers to one's political viewpoints or ideology. It refers to where they stand on the issues. Describing one as “being in the center” is the equivalent of describing another as being to the left or to the right . . .

What exactly, then, is a Moderate? How is a Moderate different than a Centrist? When one invokes the use of the word “Moderate,” they are referring to a methodology, or in other words, the methods one uses when they approach politics and/or policy making. Being a Moderate refers to HOW an individual deals with politics.

Read the whole thing, the nuances are indeed the heart of the matter here. Perusing the post, I couldn't help but be reminded of the political and discursive strategy being crafted by the Modern Whig Party, which explicitly stresses "methodology over ideology." And the Modern Whigs, of course, emphasize the virtues of moderation in politics. Back in March, Liberal Arts Dude interviewed Drew Scholtens, Chairman of the Georgia Modern Whig Party and member of the Modern Whigs National Executive Committee. Scholtens stressed "methodology over ideology":

The Modern Whig Party is a methodology party. What that means is rather than control a base using ideology, we build structures, tools, and rules around methodologies that add value to both the common member and the candidate. However it is up to the individuals to interact with the methodology systems. As a result we care little for someone’s ideological beliefs, we focus on problems and solutions, cause and effect, without preconceived notions of right and wrong . . .

We are a methodology party so we provide tools, structures, and rules around methodologies that help individuals develop, but are not controlled mindlessly by ideology. Two Whigs might totally disagree with one another but the rules dictate how they have to interact with each other. Thus they have to be able to communicate, even if they can’t agree. There is a lot of complexity I can’t go into, but that’s the gist.

Is the moderate-methodology connection in these two instances a coincidence? an example of moderate minds thinking alike? or is there some background material with which I am not familiar that draws the connection?