Reply #94: Wanted: A Democratic Barry Goldwater [View All]

[Enjolras]

Goldwater famously said "Moderation in the face of tyranny is no virtue, extremism in defense of liberty is no vice." Wacky as he was, in hindsight, he was right. He stuck to his conservative principles and got clobbered in '64, but his party's done pretty well ever since. He, with an assist from Ronnie Reagan, reminded Republicans of their values. They found their way out of the wilderness after decades of wandering, but they couldn't help leaving a trail.

Bill Clinton is the prototype DLC'er, moderate to the core. Not surprisingly, he too is telling the Democratic party to go to Zell. But did the GOP -- or most of the country, for that matter -- ever give him credit for it? For signing welfare reform, NAFTA, the inexplicable "Don't ask, don't tell", and the infamous DoMA, America's version of Tony Blair is still pilloried as a bleeding heart left-wing extremist. I come to bury Clinton, not to praise him. It's time to cut this albatross loose, and peg him as the immoral philanderer he is. I think he's a closet Republican.

I am a moderate, generally, and even I think the the party of the left needs to be the party of the left. Ever notice how much stronger Republicans have gotten since taking that wide, arcing right turn? How come nobody thinks they need to stick to the center to win? The answer had better not be that Americans really have become more conservative, as Limbaugh, in his halucinogenic state of delusion, has been trying to tell us. When people are feeling anxious -- and who isn't these days -- they want strong leadership, not squishy pragmatism. Bush may be hopelessly misguided and a bold-faced liar, but he is not weak. We can't be either.

If a commitment to peace, liberty, equal rights, decent housing and health care for all constitutes extremism, then indeed it is no vice. If putting corporate values over human rights constitutes moderation, then indeed it is no virtue. We need a Democratic Barry Goldwater, now.