Politics of Opposition: Not Far Enough Or Too Far Left/Right
Here's something I find amusing about a two party system.
People constantly complain about how their preferred party is not far enough left/right. Simultaneously, people in the other party publish negative information showing that the party they dislike is so far to the left/right that they may as well be Controlled By Satan.
I imagine this results from both the Republicans and the Democrats simultaneous needs to:
1. Energize their base (which tends to be willing to accept even some of the more ridiculous statements about the Other Party)
2. Pander to the middle. There's simply not enough people in either party's base to allow you to win an election unless the other party stays home.
I imagine there must be a thin line to walk in order to get the middle without losing your base.
Democrats are as close to an anti-war party as we have, but Kerry voted for the war and isn't advocating an immediate troop withdrawal. People who want to withdraw have nowhere to go but Nader--potentially costing Kerry the election.
I'm sure that Bush has a similar dilemma on certain issues. For example, it's good to have proposals for more spending on education and healthcare, but I imagine Bush can only go so far there without causing the size of government to increase more than his strongest supporters would be enthusiastic about.
It makes me wonder whether this situation more often results in a helpful moderation of extreme views or the watering down of good ideas to a point where they don't solve the problem they were meant to solve.