Off the road

I love the middleground. That sounds vanilla but that is how this country was designed. People of various views hash out something and bargain to create something that is good for the people as a whole. It's legislation. I vote for your transporatation bill that I'm not crazy about, and in return you support my tax cut plan. Our founding fathers lived in an agrariian economy and understood that better than we do. You cant grow everything you need so maybe you concentrate on Corn and Cotton, and trade that to get lamp oil, tomatoes, and blankets.

Middleground isnt 'Not making a decision' or not taking a stand, it's the place where most people are. We all want similar things for us and our family, and mostly we have similar thoughts on how to get there. Some of the details may be different, but thats the middleground.

The only way to achieve the is to have a large amount of 'moderates' on either side of the fence, and then a smattering of crazies on all of the fringes to interject new ideas. In the end over time, things go in a positive direction. The problem we have today is that a pack of crazies have taken control. They are a minority.

How did they hijack control? Patience. They took the time to plan. They sowed the seeds and nuturde them. They are patient, they are vocal, they are passionate, and they are organized.

I remember back in the late 80's and early 90's seeing a guy named Ralph Reed on the cover on Time magazine. He was the president of a group called "The Christian Coalition" They lobbied like everyone else to get their candidates into office. They paid people money, a created PACs. The returns on their investments were minimal. The Republican party was happy to take their money, but unwilling to let them steer the boat. Just come along for the ride.

Ralph Reed had a different approach. The Christian Coalition was widely connected to churches and organizations nationwide. He put all of his effort into getting his idealogs into LOCAL offices. Get them elected to School Boards, to Town Councils, to Planning Boards. By getting his people in at the bottom, those with the will, connections, and aptitude would move up. And they did, that became County Representatives, and Mayors and Govenors. And then some went further, Congressmen and Senators. The religeous right no longer had to buy someone into a position, they had organically put someone in there that actually BELIEVED as they do.

This has drastically altered the Republican Party over the last decade. Those who arent of those beliefs have to play the game now, or be tossed out. Look at Arlen Spector, the Senator from PA. One of the most Senior Senators in Congress...and one of the last Republican Moderates. Nearly lost his PRIMARY last year to a nobody named Toomey who was being finaced by national level Christian organizations.

They are willing to hobble their party in the short term to achieve a party of uniform beliefs. No dissenting voices. No bargaining. No compromise. No middleground.

In this case, I believe that the Dems weakness is their diversity. How can they overcome a Majority that is a Lockstep Majority? The American way is under a serious threat.