In Congress, a Shrinking Pool of Moderates
While the occupant of the White House and the composition of the next Congress are still to be decided, one thing is clear: there will be many fewer moderate politicians here next year.
A potent combination of Congressional redistricting, retirements of fed-up lawmakers and campaign spending by special interests is pushing out moderate members of both parties, leaving a shrinking corps of consensus builders.
Middle-of-the-road Democrats, known as Blue Dogs, have been all but eviscerated from the House over the last few elections, and now three who have been in the Republicans cross hairs for years are fighting uphill battles for re-election.
Among Republicans, Senator Olympia J. Snowe of Maine and Representative Steven C. LaTourette of Ohio, weary of partisan battles, chose to retire this year, and some, like Representative Charles Bass of New Hampshire, have found themselves moving away from the center to survive, a technique employed by Senator Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, who found it was too little too late and lost his primary campaign.
full: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/us/politics/pool-of-moderates-in-congress-is-shrinking.html?pagewanted=all
Pab Sungenis
(9,612 posts)The last thing our party needs right now is more "moderates." It's moderates who have gotten us into the mess we're in.
denverbill
(11,489 posts)OK, maybe Bernie Sanders and perhaps a tiny handful of others. The vast majority of Democrats are moderates, and there are no moderate Republicans. The Blue Dogs weren't moderates. They were conservatives.
msongs
(67,413 posts)thetonka
(265 posts)I fear for the future of this country and this world.
Vincardog
(20,234 posts)alp227
(32,026 posts)Sanders (the independent, socialist from Vermont who's on Thom Hartmann every Friday)
Schumer
Franken
Boxer
Leahy
fasttense
(17,301 posts)Are any of them calling for the abolition of personal property? Are any of them calling for laws against amassing fortunes? Are any of them calling for a bar against the rich holding political positions? Are any of them calling for the elimination of ALL corporations? the Answer is a clear NO. Those are extreme left wing positions.
The policy positions the people you list hold are very moderate.
The people have forgotten what the extreme left is really like.