Comforting Truisms

One of the Right's favorite beliefs is that this is a Center-Right country. This is sort of true; certainly by international standards all American politics is right wing. But that's not how Conservatives mean it - particularly since they see moderate liberals like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama as almost as liberal as Mao. Take Matt Barber's latest article, in which he argues firmly for the RNC to push strongly conservative candidates.

We remain a center-right country. In fact, a recent Gallup poll established that Americans identify as conservative vs. liberal by a nearly two-to-one margin.

So, whose advice will Republicans follow in 2010? Will it be that of a fork-tongued Democratic emissary like Tim Kaine? Or will it be that of the GOP's highly motivated, itchin'-to-vote, grass-roots Party faithful?

Essentially Tim Kaine argued that Republicans shouldn't purge out the moderates in their party, but should support them (this is in part a reference to Governor Crist in Florida, I am guessing and Marc Rubio).

Barber doesn't like that idea, but presumably he wants to see Republicans / Conservatives victorious rather than getting a long with Democrats. I want to return to the original thought - are we are Center Right nation? Well many people describe themselves as Consrvatives. But if you go down the issues presented in a neutral light, Liberalism does a bit better.

But that's the issue - issues aren't presented in a neutral light. Rather they are presented by half-hearted liberals (like the aforementioned Obama and Clinton) against full-throated opposition from the right wing chorus. And a significant number of Americans trust Conservatives more on this than they do Liberals, even when Conservatives are clearly talking out of their ass.

Kind of depressing. We'll see what happens up in Mass. today, and it's starting to look like more depression.