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Welcome to Backyard Blog, our group online journal for this election season. We've asked a broad array of people with deep ties to the region to share their views on politics during the 2004 campaign.
Send your comments to bbcomments@seattletimes.com. |
August 31, 2004
| The race to the middle |
| Posted by Carl Gipson at August 31, 2004 11:35 AM |
[Editor's note: This post introduces our newest blogger, Carl Gipson, whose photo and bio will appear soon]
While watching the Democratic convention last monght, I was almost duped into believing that Republicans were saying the nifty catch phrases coming from the podium. Terms such as "strong national defense," "American values and vision," and "America's financial and moral support for our armed forces must be increased" were bantered about enough to make me think I was seeing the Conservative Political Action Conference. Plenty of pundits noticed the Dems' attempt to come off to the American populace as mainstream.
That feat is being accomplished again this week, but from the opposite party.
Though the classic Republican phrases abounded (defense, vision, God, national sovereignty), the idea was again to move the perception of the party more towards mainstream America. Moderate GOP supporters such as former NYC mayor Giuliani, Sen. McCain and part time-liberal actor Ron Silver were paraded in front of the screens while the right-wing of the party sat behind the curtain like puppet-masters.
Is this perpetual bolting to the middle a good thing? I'm not so sure. I hate to see people (or parties) pander and change their message or beliefs merely to gain political favor. But on the other hand, it's nice to see the parties recognize that most Americans (Seattleites notwithstanding) live in the hazy middle, going about their lives trying to put bread on the table, and genuinely despising those on the outer fringes of both the right and the left.
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