The Real Liberal
Tim Dickinson, writing in the latest Rolling Stone, takes a look at the campaign of John Edwards (The Real Liberal, 8/10).
The Mrs. got a lot of heat a few weeks ago, lamenting -- sort of -- that Edwards isn't black and isn't a woman. Dickinson makes the point that Democrats appear to be in the mood to "make history," and electing pretty boy liberals isn't making history, even if he is -- the article suggests -- more in line politically with the people who won't vote for him.
This isn't a new phenomenon, however. People base their vote on electability as much as they do on the positions of the candidates; perhaps more so.
Proof? Easy. Look at Select A Candidate over the years. Now, keep in mind, SAC doesn't tell you who you should vote for, it tells you who you're most closely aligned with politically.
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Predictably, this year -- like 2004 -- Dennis Kucinich aligns more closely to those who've taken the "quiz" so far than anyone else. Likewise, for Republicans, Tommy Tancredo and Duncan Hunter are tops.
But few people are actually going to vote -- given the chance, of course -- for these folks. Why? Because we make concessions with our votes. We don't want to "waste" them, as the cliche goes.
So Democrats want someone with the liberal positions of Dennis Kucinich, they just don't want that person to be named Dennis Kucinich.
This phenomenon, it seems to me, is the underpinning of our dissatisfaction with politicians. We think the problem is with them. But the problem is with the voter the minute he/she/it concedes his/her/its own position in favor of electability.