The Moderate Liberal

The results from Iowa, and the anticipated results from New Hampshire, are proving what we said here several times last year:  the moderates/independents are going to make this election.  And why not? It is high time that forces of moderation become active in the primary process, rather than leave it to the party hardliners to nominate the candidate. 

Although Clinton’s campaign is nowhere near dead, we are not surprised by the rise of Obama and Edwards against the “inevitability” of a Clinton presidency, only that it took so long.

As moderate liberals, we are still greatly troubled at the prospect that the American Kingdom could be ruled by two royal families (Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton) for up to 28 years!  We’ve said it before:  America can do better than this. 

As we have learned with the little Bush presidency, there are grave dangers to American-style democracy when administrations are recycled. We would expect a Billary administration to recycle the old Clinton Whitehouse. And while Hillary pronounces that the only way to deliver “change” is to get things done, Moderate Liberals want a certain kind of change — and it doesn’t come by bringing in the old guard to take another crack it. It comes from a vision, the sort that Edwards and Obama are articulating, and that Clinton just can’t project.

While Clinton scolds the media for being too “soft” on Obama, and she continues to flat out ignore Edwards, she then scolds their supporters, essentially calling them naive for wanting to believe that change is possible. 

Hillary remains our 4th choice, behind Edwards, Obama, and Richards. However, with so much at stake in this Presidential election, we have decided not to be distracted by 3rd party candidacies.   New York’s Bloomberg continues to make overtures in this direction, and its anticipated that this wealthy liberal former-Republican could skim enough independent voters away from the Democrats to tip the Whitehouse in favor of the Republicons.  This is no year for a protest vote, and if a broad swath of Americans continue to be active in the nomination process, rather than simply have a bad candidate foisted upon them by party radicals, there should be less perceived need to cast such a protest vote.

We are also enjoying watching Ron Paul rile the Republicon establishment.  The most Republican of all candidates, we are watching Ron Paul to see if he will run as the Libertarian party candidate.  His vocal supporters seem to be everywhere — just take a drive in the country and you will probably pass any number of “Ron Paul” banners taped to old trucks  along dirt roads.   Rather than ridiculing and belittling Paul, Republicons should be thankful to him as probably the only candidate who has brought some new DNA to the Republicon party in 30 years.

Although Clinton remains our 4th choice among Democrats, we’ve decided that we will vote for her if she receives the party’s nomination, if for no other reason than the Republicon Party must be disarmed.