A Breath of Fresh Air in a Sea of Falling Sky Vitriol

[Rich Lucibella]

Gotta love people who actually Think and Analyze rather than Rant and Point Fingers. Here's a great piece on the message of the elections; an optimistic one also, God Forbid:
http://www.themoderatevoice.com/posts/1163082020.shtml

Some tastier tidbits:

For decades, moderates have been the cowardly lions of American politics. You’d see them quivering in the corner as the anti-establishment left exchanged culture war mortar fire with the anti-establishment right. You’d see them passed over and dissed as the parties mobilized their bases and played to their primary voters.

Well, somebody’s been on steroids, because on Tuesday the muscular middle took control of America. [snip] On Tuesday, 47 percent of the voters were self-described moderates, according to exit polls, and they asserted their power by voting for the Democrats in landslide proportions.

There is indeed a segment of America that may not be totally left or totally right — and doesn't necessarily disparage those who are. But this segment (a) doesn't want to be totally ignored or written off (b) can be HIGHLY passionate (because you are a centrist or a moderate doesn't mean you don't take a strong stand on key issues or feel deeply) and (c) DOES vote. American history proves that there is a passionate center.

Over the past two years, with near total control of the government, the Bush administration and GOP Congress veered increasingly more to the right in trying to please its base — even though on other key issues it alarmed classic conservatives.
[snip]
So voters kicked out Republicans but did not swing to the left. For the most part they exchanged moderate Republicans for conservative Democrats. It was a great day for the centrist Joe Lieberman, who defeated the scion of the Daily Kos net roots, Ned Lamont. It was a great day for anti-abortion Democrats like Bob Casey and probably for pro-gun Democrats like Jim Webb. It was a great day for conservative Democrats like Heath Shuler in North Carolina and Brad Ellsworth in Indiana.

But let's be realistic: over the next few months (and years) just as we will see an internal struggle for the soul of the Republican Party waged by those who feel Bushism has watered down Republicanism, we're likely to see some kind of struggle within the Democratic Party waged by those who feel moderates and DLC influence sell out what the Democratic Party really stands for. Many conservative Republicans and progressive Democrats feel a centrist stance by their party would be betrayal.

Rich

[mthalo]

An airplane that loses one wing reacts in the following manner , it flies in circles for a short time, then crashes into the ground. It doesn't matter if it's the right or the left wing.

It was a great day for anti-abortion Democrats like Bob Casey and probably for pro-gun Democrats like Jim Webb

Maybe this is off topic, and I'm sure I'll get little support here, but I would love to see the pro-gunners get together with pro choicers and the gay rights activists. What politician out there would consider it prudent to introduce a bill that pisses off the NRA, NOW, NARAL, and ACT UP all at once?
You'd never see another gun control bill.

[UH1-D Rotorhead]

....for once, my vote finally counted...

[invention_45]

Maybe this is off topic, and I'm sure I'll get little support here, but I would love to see the pro-gunners get together with pro choicers and the gay rights activists. What politician out there would consider it prudent to introduce a bill that pisses off the NRA, NOW, NARAL, and ACT UP all at once?
You'd never see another gun control bill.

You got my support.

[GoSlash27]

You might get a little more support than you'd think.

[Eghad]

The article hit the nail on the head. moderates and independents are the ones who switched in the vote. I think the leadership of the democratic party may be in for a surprise if they go buck wild and don't listen to moderate and conservative parts of their party. Congresswoman Pelosi has already given out some warnings to some of her party to tone it down.

if the Democrats mistake this opportunity as a mandate to trash the administration then they might be in for a shock in 2008. I feel this vote wasn't about political parties as much as folks wanting responsibility and accountability by the pols in DC to be to the people not to a party.

[Rich Lucibella]

Eghad-
I think Dick Morris is right that they can attack the Administration at will without fear of much backlash. Investigations into Rummy, Haliburton, Katrina and Oil Drilling need not even be productive; the Media will provide the spin.

Meantime, they might demonstrate action on such items as Min Wage, Corporate Tax Breaks, 9-11 Commission recommendations, and beefing up forces in the Iraq. They'd end up, in '08, claiming the High Ground in the WoT ("we were not against it, just the way it was prosecuted") and being the "moderate" champion of big vote getting programs.

At the same time, they could appeal to their traditional base by working with GW on a Guest Worker Program, spelled "amnesty" in any other country. That looses them few moderate votes, except in traditionally red states anyway. And it would gain them millions of new voters.

Meantime, with the Governor pickups, look for redistricting a la Tom DeLay. There's plenty of wiggle room for quiet payback, while claiming the moral high ground.

Not saying that this is a set of policies which I favor; but I think it would consolidate their power and easily win them the presidency.
Rich

[Eghad]

I just think that it would be more productive to put grudges aside for the minute and work on Iraq. I see minimum wages and prescription drugs as two issues for them to work on. I agree The 9-11 commission recommendations are another thing that could gain them some high ground.

There should be some investigation into KBR and the administration. I am not saying there should be no investigations. Just need to keep the rabid dems on a leash and have them received as wanting a fair investigation not just wanting to bury the hatchet.

The guest worker will lose some ground for them. I would suggest putting more $$$ into the enforcement effort against those hiring illegals. That along with a wall would net them some pretty good high ground. As long as there is a low risk of getting caught hiring illegals they will go around and over any wall. If they do the above two items it might make a guest worker more palatable for some folks.

Gerrymandering is a sort of political shortsightedness imo. It wasn't the hardcore party faithful that changed the face of government in this last election. I am one of the folks who has fallen out with the two party system. The narrow vision of the leadership of both parties is focusing on surviving and political power at the expense of the voter. Like those German fuel cans during the Battle of the Bulge they looked good on the outside but one you tapped on them they were hollow and filled with nothing.

[invention_45]

The very smartest thing the Democratic Party could possibly do is to go over the last ten years of legislation and review it, no matter how much it cost to do.

They should then remove anything draconian in either direction and rewrite the laws with that tone.

In the end, drug users should get less jail time than rapists. Somebody who gains a child's confidence only to create child **** should be treated much like a rapist, while someone whose computer simply has such a picture on it without solid proof that it's being intentionally distributed should be left alone. After these more reasonable laws are in place, laws that protect actual victims, a citizen who is not a convicted felon and is not diagnosed with a serious uncured (not untreated) psychiatric condition should be able to buy as much gun as he or she can afford.

We've moved far far away from "let the punishment fit the crime" because zealots are louder than the massive center. Moving back will make enemies of some, but will attract a lot more. Real criminals, like high-level drug dealers, child **** manufacturers, robbers and rapists love the present situation. Their serious crimes are required to carry less real jail time in order to make room for all the "minimum mandatory" criminals without victims.

Public communications (PBS, NPR) should be fully re-funded. Corporations own nearly all mass communications, and that is a dangerous situation. I'll bite my tongue and not advocate restricting what they can say on corporate-owned stations, but there has to be access to communications for all points of view.

Somebody else here suggested outlawing the adding of a pet clause to an otherwise very unrelated bill, making that clause stand on its own merits. That should happen.

"Sense of Congress" or "Intent of Congress" resolutions should be outlawed in legislation. Bills should be plain on their faces about what they intend to do, without opportunities for legal contortionists to twist things like interstate commerce into justification for what would, lacking the convoluted rationale, be seen as simply unconstitutional.

Judges should be judges. The constitution put them there to be so, whether somebody thinks them "activist" or not. Their "activism" was the idea. Judges were not intended to march in lockstep with legislators. If they were, their description as a "check" would be nonsense.

The party that gets in power and does these things and continues to do them will never leave.

But, of course, there will be a cost to them to do this. That cost will be the difference between whatever money is donated by the vast middle just to see that the people retain power and the amount that would be, under present conditions, be donated by a smaller but far wealthier subset, whether that be the Teamsters or AT&T.

[K80Geoff]

I have sat and listened to all of the analysis of the Democratic victory.

They have all missed the real reason for the Dem victory....PO'ed Republicans. Who either did not vote or voted Democratic.

I obtained the voting stats for my small rural white trash redneck county. Comparing the voting numbers to past elections one thing stands out. A high number of voters voted a straight Democratic ticket (You can do that in PA by filling in one bubble on the ballot)

In past elections straight Republican voters outnumbered Straight Dem by over 2 to one. This time they were exactly equal. Several folks who normally support the Reps have flat out stated they voted straight Dem and walked out. Letters to the editor in the local 8 page fishwrap bear this out.

Almost every turnover in the Senate/House was decided by slim margins. In many cases less than 1%. That is not a landslide no matter how the media tries to spin it. Yes there were exceptions where Rep candidates were unpopular like Santorum and Sherwood. But look at Virginia, Montana, Missouri, Rhode Island ad infinitum.

The margins were Republicans who just were so angry at the party that they sent a message.

This was the election of the PO'ed Republican.

[ahenry]

Geoff hit it on the head there. Moderates didn't win crap, other than being in the right place for a victory to fall in their laps. Conservatives were ****** off at the republican party and voted that way (if they voted at all).

[Trainman]

Public communications (PBS, NPR) should be fully re-funded. Corporations own nearly all mass communications, and that is a dangerous situation. I'll bite my tongue and not advocate restricting what they can say on corporate-owned stations, but there has to be access to communications for all points of view.

Why should government-funded media be more trustworthy than free-enterprise vehicles? What makes government funding inherently more desirable than corporate? Both have an agenda, yes. But why should the government be in the public broadcast business?
I would much rather trust the free-market news than government subsidized drivel.