Vic Socotra

04 November 2009

Getting it Wrong

I feel bad for Creigh Deeds, the failed Democratic candidate for Governor of Virginia.

He was an authentic voice of down-state and was forced to run an unpopular negative campaign because he was resource challenged.

Nonetheless, I think the talking heads are missing the point of this election, which I tried to articulate in the column I wrote yesterday. There is an increasing number of us out here in voter-land that don't feel represented by either party. The conservatives are too socially restrictive; the Democrats are just as irresponsible fiscally as they always have been.

There are enough of us independent votes- some say as much as 40%- that we could form a third minority party and condemn ourselves to irrelevance. Third parties don't work in this country, or rather, have remarkable consequences. Mr. Lincoln's Republicans were a case, as was Mr. Wilson's Democrats, both of which got a chance to lead because of schisms in the major parties- the Secessionists and the Bull Moose factions, respectively.

In our time, we saw what the consequences of the small faction of independents who went for Ralph Nader did in 2000.

I think the message, if one distills it, is that in the first time we had a chance to say something to our government officially since the election. I think it was pragmatic, centrist and focused on things that matter. A small but significant majority of us wanted change in the last election as we confronted the most disastrous economic situation in almost a century.

I am listening to NPR now, and they have it wrong. They are saying this is not a referendum on Mr, Obama. They are desperate to cling to the bold vision of the future that includes massive change to health care (which most voters aready have) and carbon cap and trade (which relies on faith in new science more than the evidence of our senses).

Not big winners as issues, outside the circle of true believers.

My older boy summed up the carbon issue. He is opposed to the way we are polluting the planet, as I am, but he is pretty sure the science is not mature enough to understand what is really happening- If the globe is warming, why is it cooling?- and is not convinced that we must be the first to step in front of the hurtling economic bus while all the rest are looking on.

This was a thoroughly pragmatic election, and about the next paycheck. I would say it is a powerful message. One of the commentators was crowing about the upstate New York congressional race, saying it repudiates the ideologues of the right.

I think it is remarkable that in the 23rd District a candidate without a major party affliation came within three points of defeating the Democrat, who was endorsed by the moderate Republican candidate who had been forced out of the race by carpetbagging national politicians.

Interesting. I think the message to the government is simple, and it is one for Mr. Limbaugh and the rest on the radio to hear as well.

Fix the economy. Stay focused. Fix what is broken first.

Get too far out in front of the independents and the branch may break.

It is fragile, you know.

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