Democrats and Rocky Mountain Pragmatism
One of the themes that I find myself returning to in my blogging is the need for the Democratic Party to govern as moderates. There is a great article in Time this week about the rise of pragmatic Democrats in the Rocky Mountain West.
The article is a profile of some of my favorite Democrat politicians from the West including Governor Brian Schweitzer and Senator Jim Tester from Montana, and Senator Ken Salazar and Congressman John Salazar of Colorado.
The article has a telling quote from the conservative editor of the Grand Junction, Colorado Daily Sentinel:
"The problem is, we've gone from the extreme Democrat tree huggers in the 1990s to a hard-right Republican Party that knows no boundaries. The party with the problem now is the G.O.P. That's why we endorsed John Salazar for Congress. He's not a Nancy Pelosi Democrat. He thinks we've got enough gun laws, he's against the death tax, he's a libertarian on social issues, and he knows that the deer and elk around here just don't like to hang out around natural-gas rigs."Toward the end of the article is a great profile of Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and a possible presidential run in his future. Listen to this run down:
Schweitzer has a master's in soil science from Montana State University and spent seven years building irrigation projects in Saudi Arabia. He speaks fluent Arabic and has a sophisticated grasp of Middle Eastern politics and the history of oil.Schweitzer was just elected to his first term as Governor in 2004, so it's too soon for him to make a run for the White House (ahem, I'm looking at you Senator Obama). Schweitzer seems about as far away from the likes of Senators Clinton and Biden as you can get.
In the crowded Democrat Presidential field, I think the candidate that most embodies these pragmatic values, and the one I am currently most comfortable supporting in the general election, is former Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa. Here's hoping there's room for his message to get out in a race that will focus heavily on Barak and Clinton.
posted by Blaine the Mono @ 2:13 PM
1 Comments:
The point is well taken about pragmatism vs. ideology.
The Democrats have taken the middle, and need to keep it. However, defining the middle is the real battle. Somehow Hillary has been painted as a liberal, and it just ain't true. If we can define the middle in terms that the citizenry's middle can accept we will succede. If we have the middle shifted to the right then we are in trouble.
I also like Tom Vilsack, but I am still leaning toward Bill Richardson. I am heartened to have so many choices out there now. I hope "The Grizz" enters on the other side so both parties can have a wide spectrum of choices.
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