Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Wherefore Art Thou, Political Moderates?

An interesting article, although I'm amazed by the "fact" that the conservative base in this country outnumbers the liberal base by 50%. Sure doesn't seem that freakin' way to me!

Michael Barone, in U.S. News and World Report, recently made the case that 2008 may be the moderates' moment - that leading contenders from both parties are cutting moderate profiles, including such Republican candidates as Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and such Democrats as Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Evan Bayh (Ind.) and Govs. Mark Warner (Va.) and Tom Vilsack (Iowa).

Maybe. But experience suggests that the primary process will force Democrats to toe lines dictated by teachers unions, extreme feminists, doves and civil rights groups, and that Republicans will have to hew to the views of hard-line evangelicals, anti-taxers and anti-immigration nativists.



Isn't that sad?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

No, typical...to get the Republican nomination, you need to go right...then you go to the center for the general election. For the Democrats, you go left. But their problem is they are far too far left to make a reasonable move to the center...John Kerry and Howard Dean are not moderate by any stretch of the imagination....

Anonymous said...

why couldnt a moderate third party take off? Especially at a time when a majority of ppl are disenfrachised with the major two parties.

Darren said...

Too many people think that unless they vote for one of the two major parties, their vote "doesn't count"--thereby keeping the two major parties right where they are.

Anonymous said...

ya but if a centrist party came toghether with some very popular figues (mcain, guilianni, etc.) dont you think that would peek intrest in the new party and elavate them to a point that they weren't seen as a throw away vote

Darren said...

Perot tried it. Maybe a third party needs a bigger name? and smaller ears?

=)