:: blame the extended gestation.... ::

:: Monday, January 12, 2004 ::

Op-Ed Contributor: The Vital Republican Center:

"It doesn't seem to matter to conservatives that moderates share their views on the vast majority of those bedrock principles that have always been the foundation of Republicanism: smaller government, the power of free markets, a strong national defense. Because we disagree on a few issues, most notably a woman's right to choose, many conservatives act as if they wish we moderates would just disappear."

You know, people like Christie Todd Whitman and her ilk--both Republican and Democrat--who go on and on about the postive aspects of moderate political belief sound like complete morons. If it were simply a question of the superior nature of moderate politics the political climate would have changed ages ago. The problem is political districts are written up by state legislatures not bi-partisan commisions; meaning districts are drawn up that create picking grounds for (insert your political leaning). Thats why districts have become less and less competitive. It has nothing to do with some absurd idea that we're becoming more political (fewer people are voting than ever before) or that there is some huge cultural split (people are becoming far more globalized and cosmopolitan). Its voting districts pure and simple... Whitman can whine on and on about the benifits of being moderate; but no one is gonna listen to her until districts are drawn more competitive.

:: Jim Nichols 1/12/2004 08:13:00 AM [+] ::
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