Interesting point you make, Just wanting to sit at the table is one of the reasons we continually get our butts kicked. They are merciless and cheat. We play nice and beg like puppies.
Politics is about power.
If your group does not seize and hold it, someone else will.
Conservatives still have not figured out that politics is a zero sum game.
You either win or you lose.
The “middle of the road” makes you road kill—you lose.