And “never” is a very long time.

Laura

It’s the traditionalist folks who are happy, and them alone.

CC

I realize that so much hot air is being thrown around at BOTH conventions, and that’s why (much like the Olympics) I don’t make any special effort to watch either of them.

BTW, i’ts been easy for me to remember Palin’s name because I’m a Monty Python fan (Michael Palin)

Why is that people can see so much in common among the religions of the world, but so little in common between Democrats and Republicans?

sorry:

I’m betting, without knowing much about her, Gov. Palin is going to offer the winning synthesis of libertarianism and traditionalism.

And the link to Lindsey’s site: http://www.cato-unbound.org/2007/07/09/brink-lindsey/the-libertarian-center/

The two movements thus offered conflicting half-truths. On the left were gathered those elements of American society most open to the new possibilities of mass affluence and most eager to explore them – in other words, the people at the forefront of the push for civil rights, feminism, and environmentalism, as well as sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. At the same time, however, many on the left harbored a deep antagonism toward the institutions of capitalism and middle-class life that had created all those exciting new possibilities. On the right, meanwhile, were the faithful defenders of capitalism and middle-class mores. But included in this group were the people most repelled by and hostile to the social and cultural ferment that capitalism and middle-class mores were producing. This is the blind vs. blind struggle of the culture wars: one side attacked capitalism while rejoicing in its fruits; the other side celebrated capitalism while denouncing its fruits as poisonous.

This conflict is still with us today, in the form of the polarized politics of Red America vs. Blue America. The good news, though, is that this polarization mostly concerns minorities of true believers and their media talking heads rather the bulk of ordinary Americans. Most Americans, it turns out, have moved on since the ’60s toward a common ground whose coloration is not recognizably red or blue – call it a purplish, libertarianish centrism. On the one hand, they embrace the traditional, Middle American values of patriotism, law and order, the work ethic, and commitment to family life. At the same time, though, they hold attitudes on race and sex that are dramatically more liberal than those that held sway a generation or two ago. Likewise, they are deeply skeptical of authority, and are strongly committed to open-mindedness and tolerance. Such an amalgamation of views is flatly inconsistent with current definitions of ideological purity. Despite all the talk of raging culture wars, most Americans are nonbelligerents.

I’m betting without knowing much about here, Gov. Palin is going to over the winning synthesis of libertarianism and traditionalism.

Liberalism in both it’s Political and Theological faces, committed to a notion of being in the vanguard, of needing to teach people not quite theologically or politically where they should be, people who don’t vote their self interests because they’re not educated.

That runs counter to the Libertarian consensus and I think McCain\Palin better equiped to harness it than Obama\Biden will be able too.

It’d be nice if the majority of folks could remember that’s how discussion is intended to be and not like one of those timed sports shows where the talking head gets so many seconds to shout his opinion before the next person goes off.

Ugh.

As always, thanks PB.