Sam Smith
With Angus King running as an independent for Maine governor, we will continue to be inundated with disingenuous talk of "moderation." In fact, those called moderates - like King and Olympia Snowe - are actually on the right, just not as far as some. The political spectrum has moved so far to the right over the past 30 years that the closest thing to a moderate would be somewhat to the left of a blue dog Democrat. In fact, any liberal Democrat of the the New or Fair Deal, or of the Great Society, would be most at home today in the Green Party.To check this out, count the number of major pieces of legislation passed in the past thirty years by either party that has helped the economic and social conditions of large number of Americans. One hand will do.
It is further the case that the only extremism in American politics today that actually wins votes is of the conservative variety. Thus it is not a left-right conflict at all but a dispute among conservatives. Those the media insists on calling moderates are basically right wingers who aren't as mean to women and gays as some of their colleagues.
