There is a bit of a problem - it will take me awhile to figure out what that side is.
This could approach Langston Hughes answer to Sen. McCarthy. On my blog I link to Greens, and Libertarians and Democrats. I supported Ross Perot because he took the time to run 30 minute commercials to explain his positions. I didn't agree with all of them but I ended up voting for him in at least one election. It is hard to be called partisan when I can't remember if I ever voted for Clinton. I think I did in his last election. Until after the present fools in Washington starting lying after 9/11 I didn't pay that much attention to politics. And I found out they were lying through my own research, looking at foreign papers, not from some party or group or individual. It wasn't until some time in college that I broke myself of the habit of saying "I think' before most opinions I expressed to show they were just mine. I have never gotten out of the habit of reading opposing viewpoints. I didn't choose the name Liberal News until I read something somewhere about the definitions of liberals and conservatives and decided I liked the sound of liberal and what it meant. It needed to be reclaimed from being an epithet down here in Bush Country. I was much more interested in science fiction and games than politics. I was interested in the future and forecasting. I started to get a masters in Futures Studies before I decided they were really training you to be wishy-washy liberal "vision" group leaders and not much was offered in hard scientific techniques. I could easily tell my dislikes about the Democrats, the leaders were a pathetic bunch of wusses in 2002. But that isn't disliking my own side, as most active Democrats think so too. I only became an active Democrat a year ago and started commenting on Bush less than two years ago. Now I am a Democrat and right now I am focusing on building populist popular support and getting civil libertarians and gays and singles and families with children and Greens and people who oppose religious control of government to join the Democrats or at least support their candidates come election day. So what are my positions and what people who support them can I disagree with? I am a balance-of-powertarian. Power corrupts and systems of checks and balances need to be established in most areas of life. I am a social and civil libertarian. I am not an economic libertarian, they fail to acknowledge the loss of liberty caused by concentrations of wealth and the benefits minimum standards of health, income, etc. can provide. Criticisms of: Populists: Lower trade barriers lowers prices and benefits the poor. I just now add ifs. If we also demand environmental, child labor and union laws trade agreements are good. Don't protect obsolete industries. Unions: The past and present demonstrate both the abuse of power they could have but also the abuse of power owners have. Liberals- I think standing on the corner holding signs does little good. it is a feel good short activity for the person doing it. Kerry - I am not a big fan of Kerry who is a professional politician. This doesn't count, a lot of Democrats only felt he was the most professional and would run a good race. Democrats - it ain't an organized party so you can only criticize parts of it. This doesn't count, everyone knows that. DLC and the professionals in Washington are only protecting their own power. Doesn't count, I'm of the group who feels that way.. They have gone a little overboard on the quota positions within the party. Of course, when a conservative can say with a straight face look at this picture of the GOP leaders and look at this picture of the Democrat leaders and say who is more racist and I can see how that system was developed. Social Libertarians - Are most prepared to accept the decline in social discourse and the problems with more widely available drugs? Antiwar Crowd - Marching rarely does squat. However, I have no problem with Marxists in running some - the cold war is over and I am much more worried about the other wing. And the anti-war movement was right about every f***ing thing we said. Dean - I was a bigger fan of Dean but said he was going to make mistakes in Iowa due to lack of sleep making him short-tempered. The Dean yell was not a mistake except for not immediately putting up the floor video as a political commercial on all the networks. BTW, Dean wasn't a liberal but had the most conservative positions of any Democrat running. Edwards - I am going to have to find something to criticize him on. He is actually a good lawyer. He has little experience but Bush and other Presidents have had less. He has great personal charisma. OK, it is not clear how he would do if called upon to make a very tough decision. Would he grow into it like Kennedy? Kucinich - proved when mayor of Cleveland he needed better political skills. good patriotic speeches, however. Balance-of-Powertarians - haven't realized that the GOP is right - you need positions that translate into simple yes/no votes and where your position sounds better. Liberals again - ditto and need to work on a whole better communication's infrastructure. Progressives - should realize that changing the name liberal to progressive doesn't do squat. I can't decide if they are to the center or to the left of liberals. Maybe radicals are to the left? Maybe you should ask someone professional. Gary Denton -- not a professional -- #1 on google for liberal news _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
