A Democrat Agrees

Not you, Curtis.

Blogroll Addition

I've added Klados, the blog of Raymund's friend Curtis to my blogroll. Curtis recently won what he calls the "first negative critic award" after seeing a post I decided wasn't quite fit to remain on the web and letting me know what he thought of it. He's been following the blog here for awhile and I have to admit being slightly surprised that I didn't catch any heat sooner. In any case, I am happy to welcome his readers. If any agree with him that he's become more curmudgeonly, I'd like to think that they might take a look around here, lay some of the blame on me for that, and then, perhaps become more curmudgeonly themselves.

For my part, I appreciated the exchange. I see something in Curtis that I wish there was a lot more of in the political left today: independence of thought and a willingness to engage in intellectual discussion. Drop by his blog from time to time to see what I mean.

A Democrat on my Wavelength?

The other day, I commented at length on "soul-searching" in the Democratic party and left the subject feeling pessimistic. I had two main points. First, the Democrats need to return to their secularist roots and abandon their big-government economic agenda. Second, from top to bottom, the Democrats look like Platonists in that they refuse to weigh their ideas against evidence and logic. From RealClear Politics today comes commentary by Terry Michael, former DNC press secretary. While he sounds like he may not be strong on defense, and I wonder how non-interventionalist he really is with regards to the economy, I was glad to hear someone over there saying the following.

Jefferson can be an inspiration to our candidates, who need a better way to talk about religion and politics. Instead of mumbling about restoring faith to public life, Democrats can find the courage to say what we believe: We protect religious liberty by keeping God out of government. Our Founders knew that; there is not a single reference to God in the Constitution.

We need a new story. Here's rough cut: "Government: Assure liberty by staying as far away as possible from our bank accounts, our bedrooms and our bodies. [italics added] Spread pluralistic democracy and free markets by example, not by force. Restore the moral authority of the mid-20th century civil rights movement, by fashioning public policy around individuals, not tribal identity groups."

It's a message that can inspire a 21st century base and attract voters who believe both parties are obsolete.

Pardon the expression, but: Amen. The whole thing is well worth reading.

-- CAV