Just Try to Go West, Old Man

By Sam Garchik

In
2008, there is going to be consensus among Democrats and Greens that
the war in Iraq was wrong, abortion should be legal, rich people should
pay more taxes, and elections should be fair and honest.

That’s
why it’s kind of funny that Republicans can’t seem to figure out where
they stand on any of that. I am sure that they will roll out some
Shrub-clones, but there’s going to be a lot of debate about who among
them is the anti-Shrub. Of course, McCain comes to mind, but he’s not
faring too well in some parts of this state. News about our opponents
comes to us from KMEG of Sioux City (http://www.kmeg14.com/news/local/2627706.html)
which reports that McCain is trying to court die-hard conservatives.
It’s not going to well for J-Mac out there, largely because the GOP
conservatives look at him and see a traitor.

McCain’s
troubles remind us that Republican activists can be very picky about
who they support. And this is a lesson for progressives. The party of
Jefferson and Jackson made sure to pick recent presidential candidates
who were non-controversial, and, party leaders thought, candidate
blandness appeals to the middle. This didn’t turn out so well for the
Donkeys.

Not
all ideologically honest candidates win, but honest candidates get
people talking about politics, encourage voter participation, and turn
elections into referendums on issues. In this democracy, ultimately,
we’re all better off when we chose people with a track record of
working for us, not against us. Remember this when you vote in the June
primary.

It’s time to get to work.