Despite what you may have heard (or I may have told you repeatedly at the top of my lungs) I only become a ranting liberal in the presence of a raving
right winger. Similarly I expect that most raving right wingers in fact don't really goose step in church outside of a political debate.
To that end, since everyone likes to pretend in vague moments of clarity that THEY are really a moderate, why don't we all just become one for real?
In our actions anyway (not in the pit, as that's no fun).
Here's the real objective "deal" (to the best of my ability) on the 2004 candidates.
The Has-Beens
Facing either election or retirement...
~
Bush is a tarnished extreme right winger with some odd liberal spending problems.
~
Kerry is a tarnished Ted Kennedy liberal that owes his start to Dukakis. I'm just calling it like Rove will.
~
Lieberman may in fact be moderate, but I'm fairly sure he lost running for VP, and is losing again now despite great experience... Perhaps
the only more experienced moderate in the race was Gephardt.
~and experience told
Gephardt to do the smart thing... retire.
The Reinventions
Those that should retire but are trying on new careers first...
~
Sharpton makes for a fine preacher... may the Lord keep him.
~
Clark was by all accounts a very distinguished man at one time... what happened?
The Fresh Faces
Calling themselves experienced outsiders...
~Let's get
Braun out of the way first. Oh, we did.
~
Dean screams fresh face. Literally. And that's not a bad thing. He has some moderate trends as in gun control (or lack thereof) and
balancing budgets (no wait that's liberal now). But the guy wants to raise middle class taxes and that makes him liberal to middle America. Also
unelectable. I'm old enough to remember every nominee that has promised to raise taxes for the past quarter century and am about to list all that
became President: ________
~
Kucinich is so fresh it's scary. Turnip truck fresh. I like him, but I think he may be liberal; I just can't read the little pie chart to
tell. Like the smallest of fine print on an obscure document pointed to on the radio, Kucinich is a footnote in this race.
~And
Edwards, yes Edwards. He's fresh alright. A few stumbles here and there only highlighted by his usually slick demeanor. He is most
definitely moderate, on both taxes and spending. Good background in Sentate Intelligence but not too much. Still fresh. No special interests or
otherwise outside the yearnings of the populous.
Well obviously I like him. Senator Edwards seems to be everything any sane moderate could hope for in a President. So what's the problem?
"Seems to good to be true" maybe? Or
"I just can't see him as President yet"? Both probably acute observations most of you once
held about Presidents Clinton and/or Bush. Heck, even Reagen.
So again, What the problem? I'm asking. Can we not make a
deal to walk our talk for one election and elect a winning moderate?
For the love of God, please! Just this once!!!