[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: Do Moderates Exist?

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
Do Moderates Exist?
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1238994409.shtml


   I think John Hinderaker of [1]PowerLine said recently that a moderate
   Democrat is the political equivalent of the unicorn. He's never seen
   either one of them. Rush Limbaugh has argued from day one that what
   few moderates might actually exist are too few in number to even
   register in polls and elections.
   I offer Channel 2's latest "Almanac" program as a case in point. The
   political panel featured three moderates, Curt Johnson, Dean Barkley,
   and Peter Hutchinson. I voted for Hutchinson over Tim Pawlenty and
   Mike Hatch in 2006, preferring what I thought was a reasoning,
   predictable "moderate" to the other two unpredictable candidates.
   I must say, I was surprised and disappointed in Hutchinson's
   performance. There he was, a grown man, someone I thought intelligent,
   well read, and capable of independent thought, claiming that President
   Obama is a centrist. He then went on to praise his G-20 summit
   performance, citing events that never happened. It was nothing but
   White House talking points.
   Then we have Dean Barkley, who still acts like he has his old job
   working for Governor Jesse Ventura. Ventura had shown the way - raise
   sales taxes - but of course neither major party would listen. Whose
   administration raised spending the most from 1994 to 2006? Carlson?
   Pawlenty? No, it was Barkley's common man "moderate" idol, Governor
   Ventura. Yes, we got rebates, but most of the "windfall" surpluses was
   spent, and the "Big Plan" is a big part of the deficit today.
   Curt Johnson, former head of the Metropolitan Council was soft-spoken,
   but clearly had no problem raising taxes this year. You may remember
   that he won praise from liberals for flipping on Light Rail, like
   Prime Minister Pawlenty also did. By any reasonable definition, a
   moderate should never support anything with an extraordinarily
   lopsided cost - benefit ratio like Light Rail.
   So, do moderates exist? Before answering, let me use myself as a last
   example. I oppose the local property tax caps that most in the GOP
   support. I would give school boards the same power to levy property
   taxes that the city and county have, requiring referendums only for
   bonding. Does that make me less than a purebred, at least a little bit
   moderate? Not at all. I seek the same government restraint and
   accountability all Republicans embrace. I differ only in how best to
   get there.
   You know what the real difference is? I don't claim to be a moderate.
   I claim to be an American, a Conservative, and a Republican. It's the
   people who claim to be a moderate that should stand up and just admit
   what they really are.

References

   1. http://www.powerlineblog.com/