THUNDER ON THE LEFT

I am not always ecstatic about what the leadership of the Democratic Party does and doesn't do these days. And I can remember back to the Good Old Days when there really wasn't a dime's worth of difference between them and the GOP, not because the Democrats were so conservative, but because the Republicans were so moderate. I can recall having voted for three Republicans in my life, back in that day, and I still don't regret any of those votes.

But these days, there is considerably more than a dime's worth of difference between the two parties. Maybe not as much as I'd like, but enough to make it absolutely clear who I'm voting for and contributing to. Those who don't find that difference wide enough to be inspiring should bloody well be working on some serious third party.

Those who just say (as I've seen all too many people say since the State of the Union message) that the Democrats don't deserve our support because they have no policy and no spine, are clearly doing the work of the GOP. If they are not getting paid by the GOP, they should send in their vouchers now, so that at least somebody will get something out of their irresponsibility.

In fact, the Democrats have lots of policy--try American Progress Action Fund progress@americanprogressaction.org or "Tom Matzzie, MoveOn.org Political Action" moveon-help@list.moveon.org or "Howard Dean" democraticparty@democrats.org or progress@americanprogressaction.org if you want to get into the dialogue. No, they don't "speak with one voice." And a good thing, too. This is too big a country, and its problems are too big, to be competently examined in a single voice. If you don't like the voices you hear, quit whining and contribute your own voice. Happy Superbowl.