My name is kaygo, and I am an irate moderate

[ksmith]

I haven't been too happy with the NYT at times--like they care, I'm sure--but I liked this editorial, and I hope it plays out:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/opinion/09wed1.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

My favorite passage:

The rebellion against Mr. Lieberman was actually an uprising by that rare phenomenon, irate moderates. They are the voters who have been unnerved over the last few years as the country has seemed to be galloping in a deeply unmoderate direction. A war that began at the president’s choosing has degenerated into a desperate, bloody mess that has turned much of the world against the United States. The administration’s contempt for international agreements, Congressional prerogatives and the authority of the courts has undermined the rule of law abroad and at home.

Yet while all this has been happening, the political discussion in Washington has become a captive of the Bush agenda. Traditional beliefs like every person’s right to a day in court, or the conviction that America should not start wars it does not know how to win, wind up being portrayed as extreme. The middle becomes a place where senators struggle to get the president to volunteer to obey the law when the mood strikes him. Attempting to regain the real center becomes a radical alternative.

Comments

[daveamongus.livejournal.com]

One of the things I've found interesting lately is that it seems that there's a new respect from the moderate left for the traditional fiscal conservatives on the right, while on the other side of the fence you have a lot of social liberals who have nonetheless supported the war and increased military response to terrorism.

It's almost like there's new poles being formed by the strange alliances being formed. But then, I think that has also been observed re: protests on globalization, where labor unions and environmentalists find themselves getting into bed together, as well.

I'm hoping it becomes an effective check on left-right extremism.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Another Huh? are the instances of evangelicals and social liberal environmentalists working together on conservation issues.

The two extremes are squeezing from both sides, and a whole range of moderates are looking at one another and thinking, hey, at least s/he's better than those guys.

Not that the old divisions won't re-form if the moderate backlash wins the day and they suddenly have no one to pick on but each other, but damn, some of those old battles will seem like walks in the park compared to what's been going on for the past few years.

[daveamongus.livejournal.com]

Interestingly, on that score, I know our area priests have been beating the drum for environmental sanity for a number of years now. When one (the one who presided at mine and Tarri's wedding, incidentally) had the chance to build a new residence for the parish he had joined, he elected to have it built as a "zero impact" house. All solar panels and reclaimed water and whatnot--it goes well with his Prius. ;)

But yeah, the pinball of political dynamics lately could make the voting landscape rather interesting. For one, I'm noticing a lot more Republican candidates these days pushing their conservatism, faith, and pro-life stances which, though I might be in some kind of personal, moral agreement, actually has me shying away from them. Pushing themselves on those kinds of issues are a definite turn-off for this moderate.