That’s why I say Kos is typical of ‘progressive’ thought – notice here I’m not talking about truly progressive thought, but of the thought of self-described ‘progressives’ – it’s a bit of a fine point, but a real distinction…

You also mention how a few senators post there– that seems even easier to explain: large # of hits + democrat site=large # potential votes… after all, we are talking about politicians here. Anyway, I’m not trying to explain away the wackos.. just maybe the reason why KOS gets so many hits. You’ve probably heard all of this before, but it would be a humurous/interesting poll (if it weren’t impossible to tally) to see if they actually have MORE conservative hits than liberal (like people from this site going to laugh at/get fired up by their comments). I know I sometimes visit the wacko right-wing sites for the same reason…. (except this one of course, ha ha).

Point being, it’s the fringe of both sides that don’t belong here… but then again, they do. In America, everyone belongs… and the rest of us have to live with it… because that’s the whole point of “freedom”. It’s ironic that we are this big “melting pot” of divergent views, but the way our system is set up.. you are (more or less) forced to pick one of two sides. Hence the extremists being an embarassment for both parties. They make the left look weak and the right look dumb. Everyone gets lumped in because adding a 3rd would break up one big party and the remaining, united party would always win. Two parties means all we do is go back and forth every decade or so. Balance is only achieved after one party has been in power too long, public opinion changes, and the other party takes over and reverses half the sh#t the other party passed. If I suggest that America look to some (not all) of the older/wiser multi-party (European) democracies for guidance.. some sanctimonius xenophobe in here is going to bite my head off and call me “French-fry” or some moronic sh#t.

Does being a centrist mean that I’m just a waffler who can’t make up his mind? To some small extent, maybe… but many of the politicians labeled as wafflers always came across to me as more intelligent and thoughtful (and barely heard over the noise in times when both parties are screaming at each other). Then again, quiet and reflective common sense doesn’t make the news. To clarify (for example), I beleive we shouldn’t be legislating morality but we shouldn’t be stripping it away either. Leave the pledge and Christmas alone but no new faith-based science in public schools. Whatever happened to church? This is where faith was traditionally taught. School curriculum is the place for the “known” world… not one group’s beliefs. However, if some kids want to pray in school or have christian-based clubs in school… they should have every right to. If you don’t like it, turn the channel. However, the same goes for porn and adult video games. With both parties trying to legislate morality (or lack therof), we are nitpicking this country to death… just leave it the way it is.. no new laws (ah.. the libertarian side is coming out). If everyone just left everyone else the f@%k alone.. we’d all get along better. So now we have a more balanced supreme court… good. But some conservatives won’t be happy until it’s ALL in their corner. Forget balance, they are actually praying for Stevens or Ginsberg to die! I’m just trying to put all the fake shock over Kos comments in perspective. Are you really suprised when you see similar rhetoric coming from the right-wing? (just look at the gleeful agitator on the website above http://www.rightwingnation.com …so frothing and angry- you’d think his wife left him for a muslim hippy). Doesn’t matter who starts it.. one begets the other.