Here or There?

I've blogged here for about nearly five years. I started blogging there less when I was asked by Travis Johnson to help him run what was then Progressive Republicans and then Republicans United. Republicans United has morphed into Big Tent Revue and I had hoped it would become an active group blog. That hasn't happened. I'm not a good a salesman when it comes to plugging a blog, much less asking folks to join as co-bloggers.

So, I'm wondering if I should just make Big Tent Revue my primary blog or it down and go back to regular blogging at NeoMugwump. I'd love to get your opinion on this. Let me know.

Introducing Big Tent Revue

I forget to tell folks that I've started a new group blog called Big Tent Revue. It kinda rises from the ashes of Republicans United, and the goal is not as much to try to change the center-right as much as present an alternative vision and start a discussion on ways the center-right can be reformed.

Notice, I didn't say this was a Republican blog. This is a center-right blog because I want to open up the conversation to folks who might want to be conservative but are put off by the current movement. I also hope to interview some folks and basically have fun blogging.

I will still be blogging here, but please check out BTR to see some other viewpoints. Also if you are interested in co-blogging, please let me know.

Enjoy!

What Political Party in the UK Would I Belong To?

Professor Steven Bainbridge decided to take a survey to find out what political party he would belong to in the United Kingdom. I decided to take the test myself and here's my result:

Which UK Political Party Am I? Your Result: Conservative   Conservatives key priorities at this next election include: begin spending cuts in 2010 to eliminate most of the UK’s structural deficit within five years; real terms increases in health spending; allow charities, trusts, voluntary groups and co-operatives to set up new Academy schools, independent of local authority control, and to run other public services; scrap identity card scheme; "recognise" marriage and civil partnerships in the tax system.
Labour
Liberal Democrat
Green Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
British National Party
Which UK Political Party Am I? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

The Power of No

Christie Todd Whitman and Clive Crook have great articles today taking the GOP to task for not offering real alternative plans on climate change and health care. There is much to agree with and I can basically say to both Whitman and Crook, "hear, hear!"

But as important as I believe it is for the Republicans to put forth some credible ideas on various issues, I am coming to the conclusion that at least at present the GOP will not come up with real solutions on health care or climate change.

It's not because Republicans in Congress do not care about these issues, it's that it is more beneficial to the party to obstruct than it is to find solutions, that it is more important to throw heat than it is light.

I should say off top that such tactics are not limited to Republicans. Democrats have done it in the past and will do it again. In fact what makes it bipartisan is the fact that both parties rely on technology that can enforce people's views and make it hard to offer alternatives or compromise.

For the Republicans, it makes sense to oppose health care reform. Why? Part of the answer lies in how the nature of politics and technology have changed. We highly partisan blogs that scream at people and use shock to gin up the base and drive more readers to their site. We also have organizations, like Club for Growth that can put of out mass email alerts against any representative deemed not conservative enough.

The fact of the matter is, it is a lot easier to talk about "government health care" and fears of "socialism" than it is to get a bunch of representatives in smoke-filled rooms (or non-smoking these days) and hammer out a deal.

Centrists worked well in an age where there was broad consenus on the issues, but differences in how to get the done. But technology has created a world where we can live in a cocoon and get all our views from partisan sites. We no longer agree on the issues like we once did, and woe to the one that tries to forge a compromise.

It would be nice if Republicans offered some real solutions on issues like health care. But that's what a centrist like me wants, not the hard core partisan that will campaing fervently for GOP candidates. What they want to do is obstruct the Obama plan and talk about how bad it is. Which of course, is much more fun. Let's be honest: it's a lot more interesting for many to talk about the evils of health care reform and the trail of dead people left in the wake of socialized medicine, than it is to crank out a plan that might be better than what the President is putting forth. It's not very sexy, and it might mean dealing with those icky Democrats.

Now, I should state, that I don't like the current plan which includes a public option. I do think it is a backdoor way into single-payer care. But I'm less interested in screaming "Socialism!" than I am in finding alternative solutions. Which is why I am supportive of those six Senators from both parties who are cranking away at getting a workable compromise. It's not sexy. It will not make the blood boil. But it might just solve an issue that has been a problem for America for decades.

What can be done to combat the Power of No? I don't know. I don't think it means doing away with blogs, but centrists will have learn how make us of some of the same technology that has been used to divide and find ways to knit us back together. Instead of having blogs where people shout, have blogs that can be forums where we can learn to respectfully disagree and then seek to find a solution that can work for everybody. It might mean building a centrist network that can help support centrist lawmakers as they try to do the people's business.

Will this happen? I don't know. The Power of No is strong, but I have to belive the Power Yes is stronger still.

Progressive Republican is Looking for Bloggers

As some of you know, I also write for the blog the Progressive Republican. We are trying to build up our base of writers and I wanted to pass along this notice to the three people who follow my blog:

The Progressive Republican is looking to add bloggers to the roster, and the following is a list of some qualifications and expectations we are looking for:

• You must understand the basics of blogging (linking to other sites, embedding pictures and video, etc.), and having a blog is preferred but not absolutely necessary.


• Good grammar and punctuation skills are a must.


• You should be in agreement with Progressive Republican principles (Please click on the link to find out what those principles are).


• You should be willing to commit to a minimum of 2 posts per week.


• If you're engaged in multiple social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Digg, etc.) and are willing to use them to promote your posts, that would be a big plus.


• Be able to interact with the commenters on your posts and keep the conversation on track.


• Stay true to the spirit of the site and always make sure you keep your arguments sharp and your language clean.

If you are interested please drop a line to travis@progressiverepublican.info.

My Other "Job"

I wanted to let people know that I may not be posting as much because I've taken on the task of getting the blog the Progressive Republican off the ground. Travis Johnson started the blog and he is busy with another project to help unite Progressive Republicans, so he asked me to oversee the day-to-operations of the Blog.

Don't worry, I will still blog here and will probably do crossposting to the Progressive Republican. I will hope people will give this blog some love since it is a venture trying to get the moderate to liberal wing to the GOP active again. BTW, if you are a blogger that would like to be part of the Progressive Republican, please drop me a line at dennis-dot-sanders-at-gmail-dot-com.