Drew Westen, NY Times - "Why Our Candidates Disappoint Us" - an interesting read.

[NRaleighLiberal]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/sunday/why-our-candidates-disappoint-us.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1320062756-CY/AsFsE9VrU7unArmtuFg

snip

"Those weaknesses seem to be on display today, as voters face the possibility that their choice next November may be between the quintessential “corporation man” in Mitt Romney, a character straight off the set of “Mad Men” but seemingly without the character development, and the intellectualized undecider in Barack Obama, who couldn’t seem to feel, until recently, the “fierce urgency of now” for people desperate for a job or crushed by a mortgage."

snip

"Conservatism is by its nature concerned with preserving tradition, and with tradition comes a greater emphasis on obedience and hierarchy. “Spare the rod and spoil the child” rolls off the lips of many of my fellow Georgians, but it’s not among the top proverbs in Manhattan. Because of their attitude toward authority and hierarchy, Republicans in Congress are more likely to follow their leaders (although the tea in the Tea Party has added some libertarian spices for which some Republican leaders are still trying to develop a taste). This aptitude for synchronized swimming can lead to Olympic victories, but also to Pyrrhic ones.

Democrats on the other hand react so strongly against taking “marching orders” that they can scarcely stay on message even if their political lives depend on it (which they often do). Whether because he wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to do or because he took the laissez-faire attitude toward leadership that bedevils the Democratic Party, President Obama let a Democratic Congress craft his signature legislation on health care. The result was a patchwork quilt that took 15 months to sew, and was stitched so sloppily that it left the average American cold."

snip

"Whereas Democrats have carried forward the belief in the role of science and knowledge in improving our lives, Republicans have moved in increasingly anti-intellectual directions. Three of the Republican presidential hopefuls report entering the race at the urging of God, a claim that would have distressed the founders, who rejected claims to leadership by divine right."

_________

much more....though I didn't agree with all of it, it certainly makes you think.

Enjoy!

[Blue_Tires]

1. kick for later

[yurbud]

2. the only thing I disagree with Westen about is how many Democrats actually WANT to change things

as opposed to change whose pocket bribes go into.