Re: maybe it's not over- climategate

[chris () blask org]

--- On Wed, 12/9/09, der Mouse <mouse () rodents-montreal org> wrote:

> (In passing, it would help if you
> would avoid paragraph-length lines.)

Any sentence that you can't choke an elephant with isn't long enough.

> it does occur to me as plausible, at least, that what you describe 
> is an aspect of the noisy extremists being the ones who get noticed
>  - and mistaken for the entire sides.

Well, yes, it is certainly the noisy extreme that gets the attention.  People who have to do anything tend to be more 
realistic, GOP politicians aren't usually burning piles of tires in their back yards and Dem politicians aren't 
slashing tires on SUVs up and down the street.  The bulk of the population, as well, is in the middle, consisting of 
actual centrist Independents like me and the reasonable center-leaning non-roots of each party.

But in the past the "mankind sucks" vocal fringe on the left had too much control of issues and now the "gummit is 
coming fer yer guns" vocal fringe on the right is effectively driving the entire Republican agenda.  This issue has 
this year particularly become the litmus of the political right: if you aren't in favor of burning coal in a tin cup 
you must be a baby-Jesus-hating commie.

So, in large part you are correct: pure-partisan political roots don't elect major politicians, the rational center 
does.  But the roots do elect the candidates and set the tone of the debate, and I remain at least cranky about - if 
not entirely baffled by - this issue becoming politicized to the extent that it does.

-chris


      
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