21 Comments
Oct 15, 2021Liked by Steve Berman, Chris J. Karr, Jay Berman

Just looking at the title, I though David wrote it. You surprised me. That's not a bad thing.

Expand full comment
Oct 15, 2021Liked by Steve Berman, Chris J. Karr

I'm still reading, but had to take a pause upon reading, "Frightened liberals tend to fight in the “fight or flight” game. They respond to crises with hammers and tongs. The more they think Trump is on rails, the more extreme they’ll become." Seriously, Steve???? It is this kind of partisan ridiculousness that contributes to the ever widening chasm. Frightened Liberals...Really??? I think what you mean 'frightened people.' How you can formulate that thought process, completely forgetting the frightened conservatives during the Obama years, is beyond me. Stop it. Fear creates extremism regardless of which side experiences it.

Expand full comment
Oct 15, 2021Liked by Chris J. Karr

I think many, maybe even a majority, of people who vote Republican understand the "conservative worldview" about as much as they understand what it means to be a Christian. If that seems harsh, well good.

I agree that the current Republican party needs to wither off the vine and so does the two party system. Our two parties fail to represent the majority of Americans, most of the time. But both R's and D's have made sure that the two party system holds. It would be nice to have at least 5 strong parties, but the time for those changes has long come and gone. I have a very pessimistic outlook for the future, especially when I see how entrenched the Republican party is in so many states down to the lowest levels of state government. Reading The Powell Memo has certainly put the last 40-50 yrs of Republican politics into perspective.

Expand full comment
Oct 15, 2021Liked by Chris J. Karr

That could work given a century or two of grooming candidates. I could support it given candidates I generally agree with. Anything that leads to more of the current administration and congressional control is a non-starter for me. And, I do not vote just to keep someone out of office. I vote because I am more in favor of one candidate's policies. I would be nice if my candidates were intellectually honest and personable. Unfortunately, very few candidates on either side are.

Expand full comment
Oct 15, 2021Liked by Chris J. Karr

I get wanting a third party, what I don't get is why you would want a party that at best 25 percent of the public would vote for. Barely 25% of this country considers themselves conservative. Why wouldn't you try and create something that could grow into a real contender?

Expand full comment
Oct 15, 2021Liked by Chris J. Karr

What a fascinating morning for an old Humphrey democrat. Three emails in my box this morning; Charlie Sykes, Erick Erickson and now yours Steve. I don't always read them all; i pick and choose which ones appeal to me. In this case, all three did.

Obviously the reason for each of the introspective looks was due to Goldberg's suggestion to create a new third party. Apparently a variety of writers beyond those i follow have all been looking in the mirror and sorting out the reflection.

Hell, we all do that. Just those who have any kind of a following create a stir when they have to sift the through the realities of where we are. Any sane minded human being has to admit, we just aren't in a very good place right now.

Doesn't matter, right, left or independent we are precariously perched on the edge of a cliff and there is no one suggesting we try and move away from it. In fact, those fringe players of both parties keep pushing us to follow their lead and jump off...and should we, it will all get better.

Pure and utter nonsense. The far right and the far left represent such a small minority, the idea anyone should listen to them is ludicrous. We all know those shouting the loudest are the ones most often heard, but when you listen closely, what they are saying seldom makes any sense.

I struggle to believe we will come out of this malaise any time soon; except when i see columns like i opened this morning. My hope is smarter people than me will rally the masses and create the "let's get shit done party." Okay, maybe that isn't the right moniker, but i suspect you all get my point.

We've allowed the crazies to become the defining points in our country. It's a place where only a small majority exist and frankly those of us in middle should be tired of them setting the agenda of where we are headed. Today's column's may well be the start of a much better tomorrow.

Thanks for adding your thoughts, who knows? We'll see.

Expand full comment
author

Count me in. Democrats don't seem to be interested in assembling a "coalition of the sane", so supporting a decent third party that can say "hey, look at this cache of votes here for the least wackadoo" seems to be as productive as anything else I can do.

Expand full comment