Revenge of the Irate Moderates - GREAT NYTimes editorial!

[Cassandra]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/opinion/09wed1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

"The rebellion against Mr. Lieberman was actually an uprising by that rare phenomenon, irate moderates. They are the voters who have been unnerved over the last few years as the country has seemed to be galloping in a deeply unmoderate direction. A war that began at the president’s choosing has degenerated into a desperate, bloody mess that has turned much of the world against the United States. The administration’s contempt for international agreements, Congressional prerogatives and the authority of the courts has undermined the rule of law abroad and at home.

Yet while all this has been happening, the political discussion in Washington has become a captive of the Bush agenda. Traditional beliefs like every person’s right to a day in court, or the conviction that America should not start wars it does not know how to win, wind up being portrayed as extreme. The middle becomes a place where senators struggle to get the president to volunteer to obey the law when the mood strikes him. Attempting to regain the real center becomes a radical alternative.

When Mr. Lieberman told The Washington Post, “I haven’t changed. Events around me have changed,” he actually put his finger on his political problem. His constituents felt that when the White House led the country into a disastrous international crisis and started subverting the nation’s basic traditions, Joe Lieberman should have changed enough to take a lead in fighting back. "

Gail Collins completely gets it.

[kurth]

1. "We're mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore!"

Great article.

[lostnotforgotten]

3. Agreed - We Are All Angry That The DLC Inspired Leadership

Has done little to nothing in opposing the BushBots.

[newyawker99]

21. Hi lostnotforgotten!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[lostnotforgotten]

25. Why, Thank You

eom

[Warren Stupidity]

2. "America should not start wars it does not know how to win"

Gail almost gets it. America should not start wars.

[MichiganVote]

4. "Irate Moderate", finally a title I can live with. Works for me.

Do You Get It Yet Washington? Irate, middle class, hard working, paying taxes, white, black, hispanic, religious, non-religious, straight, gay---Moderates----have absolutely fucking had it!!

[Olney Blue]

5. I'm irate, period. And so are alot of Americans!

[leveymg]

6. If you're right long enough, even "radicals" become "moderates".

Anyone remember the labels that were thrown on those who dared to oppose or even question the premises of this war in early 2003?

Another clear case of the Radical Center, proven dead-wrong long enough, again trying to appropriate the time-tested Left.

[LincolnMcGrath]

10. I like your take on the situation.

:hi:

[leveymg]

13. No new insight here. Look at Social Security. That was "Socialism"

:hi: :kick:

[LincolnMcGrath]

14. Yeah, I was just glad to see someone saw through this

article so early in the thread besides me . :hi:

[sinkingfeeling]

7. The NYT got it right!

[Amonester]

8. I know I shouldn't, but I will: where was the NY Times when Bush...

and the PNAC crazies lied "to start a war that began at the president’s choosing, that has degenerated into a desperate, bloody mess that has turned much of the world against the United States." (?)

Judith Miller?

2592
http://icasualties.org

[DWilliamsamh]

9. Here here! I was thinking the exact same thing when I read that sentence!

[newyawker99]

22. HI DWilliamsamh!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[dalloway]

11. Give credit where credit is due. The NYTimes did get it right today

even though they've erred in the past. That editorial was one of the best analyses of the race I have read today.

[Cassandra]

12. Gail Collins has always been very astute...

and usually witty, when she allows that side of her to peek out.

[monarch]

19. Gail Collins knows Joe

and actually understands the issues from her many years in CT. The difference in the NYT endorsement and the CT papers' reliance on Joe's talking points is the fact that Gail actually knew what she was writing about.

[mconvente]

15. Wow, just wow. Amazing editorial, as always from the NYT

"Traditional beliefs like every person’s right to a day in court, or the conviction that America should not start wars it does not know how to win, wind up being portrayed as extreme."

That just says it all. Normal American values, and actually basic rights, are now being portrayed as "extreme" by many. Well, time for that to fucking stop.

[mkb]

16. What Does Moderate Mean?

     I read a Gore Vidal essay that mentioned Confucius' most
important objective was to "rectify the language". 
I think that makes a bit of sense, doesn't it?
     If you read what I've written here, I think you'll
understand that I believe that "moderate" is what
were trying for in almost every way we conceive.  Maybe
someday people will be happy all the time and have a party
named "euphoria" to vote for.  But until such time
as that exists, we must make the best decisions as possible
for the general good.  The problem here is that
"moderate" really has no real definition, other than
shifting more and more to the right.
     What should be the definition of "moderate"? 
For starters, I don't think that 1 percent of the population
should own 48 percent of the wealth in a "moderate"
society.  I've seen no "moderates" mention this
statistic, especially as a growing problem, most certainly for
those with "moderate" or lower incomes.  
     Moderate also does not seem to mean that a tiny group of
corporate bigwigs control the public media so that a variety
of opinions, ideas, and uncensored news can be seen and heard
by the people.
     Moderate to me means the right balance of things.  As I
state above, we are nowhere near utopia, and should not be
thinking in those terms.  Moderates cannot make everything
perfect for everyone, rather to promote the best overall
situation.  That means EVERYONE, rich, poor, and middle class,
should there be one, has to be responsible for their behavior
and citizenship.  Every person is fallible and can strive to
be better.  Self-criticism is a very important aspect of one's
ability to change course when something is wrong.
     Strife is spelled with an F, and strive has a V instead,
as in victory.  Every person must strive in order for our
society to succeed, as many of us have learned through much
difficulty.  So even though I place my criticisms mostly on
the rich and the privileged, people of modest or minimal means
such as myself must do our part to make things better.  I have
confidence that an openly critical debate will lead to a more
eclectic and positive situation.  You don't need to expect
that everyone is going to take this proposition seriously or
that there is certainty in what you do, only that being
forthright is generally practical as well as good for your
conscience, those that have one.  I only add that you need to
use your head as well as your heart.  With a little effort,
things can improve.  

[opihimoimoi]

18. Thank you for an excellent post...I refer to the STRIVE effort as reducing

the IG Factor..

Ignorance is Killing us.

By reducing Ig we increase the odds for a better life.

[JerseygirlCT]

17. That's excellent, thank you

And right on.

Honest to goodness, this just isn't a wild-eyed state. Steady habits is it, for sure.

But Joe's hubris and neglect got the best of him. His inability to listen to his constituents and pay attention to what they needed him to hear: we care about our democracy, even if you don't anymore.

People here take that stuff seriously.

[SteppingRazor]

20. Oh! Oh! I blogged about this!

http://blogs.southflorida.com/citylink_dansweeney/2006/08/ok_so_my_lamont_prediction_was.html

At first, I wanted to write my own reaction, but then I just posted a link to this NY Times editorial and did a brief summary of it, because it said absolutely everything I wanted to say. Brilliant stuff. I've long advocated the idea that the current antiwar sentiment does not rise from the left, but from the middle -- it's just that the country has gone so far to the right that the moderate view appears to be leftist.

[Jacobin]

23. FINALLY someone writes something in the NYT that makes sense

[Superman Returns]

24. wohoooooooooo!

Finally someone who gets it in the sea of morons and hacks!