Wednesday, August 16, 2006

No Moderates Here

Politics 101: Don't Reinforce Your Opponents' Lies: ". . .Take, for instance, the term 'moderate.' This is a word the American Heritage Dictionary defines as 'Being within reasonable limits; not excessive or extreme.' Yet, it is applied specifically to politicians pundits who, measured against public opinion, are the opposite, like Joe Lieberman (De Facto GOP Nominee-CT), John McCain (R-AZ) and New York Times columnist David Brooks. Think about their major positions: Lieberman likens his opponents terrorist sympathizers, calls them 'extremists' on national television, and shills for a war that polls show 60 percent of Americans oppose. McCain actually wants to send more troops to Iraq - again a position only a small minority of Americans supports. Brooks calls for an end to American democracy, saying 'voters shouldn't be allowed to define the choices in American politics.' Yet, these folks are routinely referred to by the media and political Establishment as leading 'moderates,' that is, leading voices for positions that are supposedly 'within reasonable limits' and are 'not excessive or extreme' in relation to the rest of the country's positions. . ."

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