Hi Aldon,
Let me return the seasonal sentiment in hopes that such niceties will spread and continue PAST the holidays...so...
Happy Whatever Holiday (Christmaramakwanzukkah solstice?--lol) to you, and have a wonderful new year!

Oh, and I'm supposed to actually say something nice about your blog too, I think. NO problem. Sure, we probably don't agree on a lot of issues, but suffice it to say, yours is THE FAIREST and most refreshingly friendly liberal blog I have seen to date, and the first I've seen that I actually haven't cringed at while reading. YES, that is a compliment. Keep up the good work--if more on the left blogged like you do, some of "us" might actually stick around and listen with an open mind. You're a credit to the blogosphere, and you've unintentionally reminded me to tone down the occasional outbursts of venom. Thanks.

Beth

I will check your recommendations. Although I may have a difficult time saying something nice.

John
Muzikdude

Hey, Aldon,

Kudos to you for your attempt. I can't really advise you on who you would consider your "opposite", because I don't think most people really fall into the political stereotypes bandied around. I'm only an issues voter, and I was pulling for Dean early on in this last election cycle. He lost me when he made those comments suggesting that the WTC bombing was done by the US, but I thought his record in Vermont looked very good. I was irritated by how hard it was to find out what he had done in Vermont, though - that's another beef I have with the press. All Dean got was puff coverage early on, and it hurt him later. IMO Dean would still have been a better candidate for the Dems to run than Kerry. He has a far more authentic voice and perspective, and even if he had lost he would have moved the Democratic party forward.

I feel the current nature of the political dialogue is failing the citizenry of this country. I don't know whether the underlying problem is that we need a third party, or a stronger more issues-oriented press (rather than one locked into advocacy), or whether we the people just need to stand up and revolt.

It seems to me that Congress is not doing its job of overseeing the activities of the Executive branch, or representing the people. I wonder if the leadership of the parties is not more focused on simply getting "their" candidates elected rather than accomplishing anything.

Bush is an activist (I was pleased by prescription drug coverage for the elderly), but where is the counter-balancing activist voice on the other side? Dean, I thought, was a man who really did want to work on problems. BTW, I thought Dean had a good chance of winning Georgia, even after the stupid Guns, God and Gays comment. The problems that Vermont faced are very similar to the problems that Georgia faces, and we are still really a Democratic state.

Anyway, it seems to me that you're trying to make the Democratic party more effective, and I support that. The Radical Centrist is a good blog - his thesis seems to be that pure ideology needs to take a backseat to actual (gasp) governing and debate on the issues. QandO did not vote for either candidate - that is a blog devoted to issues. There are a bunch of open cyber-space symposiums forming. The Homespun Bloggers are a good example. I would love to see more of these pop up - it would be nice to see legislative priorities set by the people.

I am way behind on my blogging, but I did manage to get Greater Democracy added to my links and I will add this one. I have been trying to collect a bunch of blogs that concentrate on issues rather than invective or ideology. I don't personally care what the winning party is called as long as it is dealing with real problems, not destroying the Constitution, and not setting up concentration camps, so a reinvigorated and focused Democratic party would be one heck of a nice Christmas present for me in 2008.

Right now, Aldon, I am possessed by the belief that if I went out and drafted a pretty random sample of 1000 voters spread over professions and over 30 years of age, the agenda they would develop would look like neither party's and would be far more effective at moving the country forward than the representation we have now. Of course I could well be wrong, but I sure would like to see the experiment tried in cyberspace. I am 43 years old, and in my lifetime I have seen the average family's overall situation decline and a steady erosion of civil liberties supported by both political parties. I like neither trend.

Hello, Michele sent me! I had read S C & A's challenge, but didn't have time to find three blogs different from mine (especially if I had to say something nice about them all!).

If ours are different enough, I'll accomplish 1/3 of the challenge here. Your blog is intelligent and well-written, and I will probably be back. Happy Holidays!

Cat
http://catdet.blogspot.com

Sent in by michele.Happy Holidays!

The challenge is a tough one. I'm sad to admit I don't spend much time perusing blogs of people who are radically different from me, and that's a shortcoming I'll try to rectify over the coming weeks.

Your blog is not the opposite of mine. I'm just stopping by to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

For the record, my toddler was totally for Dean. I'd vote Dean prime minister of Canada given the chance. (Vermont's kind of like Canada anyway.) But you guys NEED him more than we do.

Cheers, Isabella

Merry Christmas!

Michele sent me.