Collaboration Central

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Nicholas R. Goebel replied on How do I define myself politically? :
Good point. But what I'm trying to do here is not just define myself politically but to also define moderates.

One of the biggest problems moderates have is that we do not know how to define ourselves. Conservatives are for small government, less taxes, and free trade. Progressives are for making the government work for everyone not just the rich. What do moderates stand for? No one really knows...And that will not help us win any elections.

RobBenjamin replied on Why Marco Rubio will be the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate in 2012:
I disagree. As a group, Hispanics are not any stupider than the rest of the population. They would have to be in order to not recognize the deep, malignant anti-Hispanic racism now rampant in the Republican Party. Of course, some ARE stupider, and even likely to identify with that racism. Republicans are counting on ethnic solidarity with a candidate whose basic values and positions are increasingly out of touch with Hispanic voters, especially those who are primarily English speakers.

Look at recent polls and you will see the growing political and cultural divide between those whose primary language is English and those whose primary language is Spanish. Not so different from the history of other ethnic groups.

"Hispanic" is not a one-size fits all label. To treat it as such is to ignore the deep, often hostile cultural and political divides between groups from different Spanish-speaking countries. Some of this reflects local inter-ethnic turf wars, such as the disconnect between Cuban-Americans in Miami-Dade and other local Hispanic groups. But some goes a lot deeper. Just listen to what many Cuban-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and others have to say about each other and you might get a dose of a very different reality.

If I were Hispanic (which it turns out I am, in part), I would no more vote for Marco Rubio than I would for my fellow Jew, Eric Cantor. The reason? When I decide whom to vote for, I put ethical and political values first, and ethnic identity dead last. I suspect that most pragmatists do the same, and that that includes most Hispanics.

On the other hand, I really hope that any Republicans reading this decide that I have no idea what I am talking about and stay the course all the way over a cliff.

Nicholas R. Goebel replied on Moderates: What Is Our Brand? :

I completely agree with you.  Thank you for the comment!  You may be interested in this essay also:

"Practical is not Political"http://www.thepragmaticcenter.com/essay/practical-not-political

Dividist replied on Cut Where We Can, Invest Where We Need :
The recent comprehensive Mary Meeker report is a great place to start for anyone who wants to do a deep dive into the state of the financial crisis facing this country. She takes a similar approach to what Nicholas advocates here, Spending must be slashed, unfunded entitlement liabilities must be reduced dramatically, and revenue must be raised. Yes, tax rates on the rich must go up, tax loopholes must close, and the tax base must also be broadened. Meeker actually advocates increases in Infrastructure, Education and Defense spending while slashing entitlements.

I take a different view, and am much more in the camp of an equal opportunity hatchet man. Everything must be cut. Anon's ridiculous comments above to the contrary, we're very few years away from a crisis that will make the last recession look like the good old days if we don't get our act together now.

It's not me saying that - look at the comment of the President's commission on Deficit Reduction, or the forward to the Meeker report written by Michael Bloomberg, George Schultz. and Paul Volcker. Don't kid yourself, we've got a real problem and are right on the brink of it getting away from us in a big way.

One of the stunning findings in the report is that in 15 years it'll take all the revenues of the US government to pay just for entitlements and interest on the debt. With optimistic assumptions. Of course, we'll never get to that point. Either we take serious action to fix it now, or sometime between now and then the stuff is going to really hit the fan, and the cuts will solve themselves. It won't be pretty.

Check it out:
http://westanddivided.blogspot.com/2011/03/read-em-and-weep-usa-all-in-w...

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Nicholas R. Goebel replied on Partisanship Blinds Smart People :
Yes he was. But that was when China was just emerging from it's "long sleep." It was still a backwater with little economic or military power. Since then obviously China has grown to become a great power that has redefined geo politics. The center of the world has moved from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Nicholas R. Goebel replied on How To Create A Powerful Centrist Movement:
I will definitely watch that video. Thanks! And BTW, I agree with everything you just wrote.

coach1640280 replied on Obama’s New Role, Brand, and Success Thanks to the New Republican House:
Hoping this thesis is correct.
Elected monarchy works, when the monarch is right for the job.

Nicholas R. Goebel replied on Obama’s Speech in Tucson :
But as I said this speech could have gone horribly wrong for many different reasons. There were so many rhetorical landmines. But he navigated it perfectly. So from the perspective of oratory and presidential addresses, this one will definitely be in the history books. If you're interested in presidential addresses check out the book "The Evolving Presidency" by Michael Nelson.

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Nicholas R. Goebel replied on Founding Brothers:
Great analysis. Thanks!

Nicholas R. Goebel replied on Moderates: What Is Our Brand? :
I agree with you. Independent is a much more appealling brand. But the question boils down to, would we be able to gain as influence and power as independents or working within the party system?

For example, TPC constributing writer Steve Phelps made a good point that the neo cons were successful because they didn't try to create a new party or work from outside of the party system, they just overtook the Republican Party.

What's our best strategy? Work as independents, create or promote a third party, or change one of the two major parties in our image?

Without going into all of the pros and cons on each, I will just say through all of the research I've done, the best route seems to be the third option, change one of the two parties in our image. Lind and Halstead explained it best in The Radical Center, transformational change usually comes from changing one of the two major parties.

So if that is our best route (which I'm not convinced it is) then the "Independence" label will not work.

Nicholas R. Goebel replied on Moderates: What Is Our Brand? :
Jeff, thanks for the comment. I would love to hear more about how you explain your positions, what a centrist is, and how you market yourself. Would you do an interview?

I think if we centrists start collaborating more we can finally figure out some of this stuff.

As I said in previous posts, the conservative movement had similar problems when it got started. Conservatives were marginalized and unorganized. They didn't know how to market themselves, what policies to support, what reforms to promote, and what ideals to uphold. After some collaboration they finally figured out the right message. Smaller government, less taxes, free trade, and American exceptionalism.

Once they finally figured out how to define themesleves it was all down hill after that. We need to do the same. I would love to talk with you to discuss this more. Interested in an interview or writing an article? An article about your campaign and what you experienced would be extremely interesting.

Good luck with your campaign!

Nicholas R. Goebel replied on The Rise and Fall of Partisan Democracy:
Great writing! That's one of the best essays I've read. Thanks, I will definitely post it on the front page.

jkilburn replied on Sharron Angle: “Dearborn, MI is Ruled by Sharia Law”:
A fine addition to the Republican Party !!!