Political Parties: Moderate Perspectives

Two black moderates - one Republican and one Democrat - talk about the other political party:

Slyram: "Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator John McCain: Republican Political Climate Controllers"



The moderate Democratic blogger writes: "The Blue Dogs are sitting pretty these days despite the heat from the summer protests because certain elements are pulling the Right too far right. The success of the Tea Parties could produce a third party movement rather than new numbers for the GOP. We in the center would be more incline[d] to stick with the Blue Dog Democrats because a movement head[ed] by the right-wing talk machine would not be a comfortable place for us. Senator Graham’s recent comments on the political climate and Senator McCain’s moderate candidates support is 'right' on time. That’s how genteel senators carry themselves when properly opposing a former colleague in the White House. To be honest, the same can be said about Georgia Senator Isakson but don’t let that get out — he is up for reelection and must secure the 'pea-nutty' part of his Georgia base. The political plot thickens because there are a few African American women in Georgia who would make excellent GOP members of Congress in the right situation and political climate. Will Graham and McCain commandeering the climate controls? Time will tell but most on the Right like it hot. McCain article http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20091002/pl_politico/27832_2 "

Sophia Nelson: "A Black Republican's Memo To Democrats"

The moderate Republican pundit wonders: will U.S. President Barack Obama be feared and not liked abroad, or will he be liked and not feared?: "Some have suggested that if only Washington had dropped its belligerent tone and extended an olive branch during the presidency of George W. Bush, bad actors like North Korea, Cuba and Iran would have responded in kind. Well, as of Jan. 20, 2009, that's exactly what the U.S. has done, offering serious 'engagement' with Tehran and others — only to be met with North Korean missile launches, the capturing and imprisonment of U.S. journalists, and now with the shocking disclosure of a second Iranian enrichment facility, new ballistic missile tests, arrests and killings of protesters, and defiant language from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about their determination to press ahead on the nuclear front. The question in my mind is not whether or not I think President Obama has the resolve to respond in kind if America is attacked, but rather the question is whether his new style of 'engagement' is one that will make him well liked but not rightly feared abroad. An American president must be both feared and respected all at once."

More: "I am too young to remember the Carter presidency very well, but I do remember hearing my parents discuss it at the dinner table. I remember the Iranian hostage situation and how embarrassed and deflated America was during that time. I hope that President Obama does not allow his desire to 'build bridges' and engage rogue nations like Iran to cloud his better judgment. I think that we do so at our peril and also endanger our relationship with our long-standing ally Israel. In short, here is my memo to Democrats: If you continue down this course of a weak and indecisive foreign policy, as well as more government and higher taxes here at home, you will be setting the course for the next Republican Revolution — for the next Ronald Reagan to emerge like the phoenix from the ashes. Be careful: As they say, the past is prologue."