It appears to me that the political leaders comprising the 10% or so furthest left and furthest right, are able to "inspire" many of the rest of us (we, the people) who are in the middle 80% to lean heavily one way or the other, especially in times like these. 

Leveraging is a very powerful tool, and I think a huge percentage of the people are leveraged at this point. Being a confirmed wishy-wash, I feel I'm pretty much in the middle, however it is difficult to trust one's self-assessment. 

But I do look left and right and do not like the view in either direction.