corrente

The Seattle Times has always been a joke, so it's no surprise that my local rag endorsed Weepin' Joe Lieberman yesterday. According to the Times, only Lieberman hews to proper “centrist” positions, shunning extremism. What's extremist? Well, apparently not abortion, gay rights, affirmative action, civil rights or drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, positions of Lieberman's extolled by the Times but also shared by all the major Dem candidates. Nor is it kowtowing to the Religious Right, a devotion of Joe's conveniently omitted from his resume by the Times.

No, extremism is pointing out that the playing field is tilted ever so slightly in favor of the rich:

[The other Democrats’] favorite theme has been the evil rich. Edwards calls it the "Two Americas" — the 2 percent at the top, and the rest of us down here. Dean speaks of business as if the emblematic American company were Enron. Kerry, who seems to have redefined himself as a populist, calls for the end of "the economy of privilege," and says "our sons and daughters should never have to fight and die for Mideast oil."

Set against these extremists, whose views are shared by a majority of Americans, are the "New Democrats" such as Weepin’ Joe. The Times likes New Democrats:

Washington voters have elected such New Democrats as Sen. Maria Cantwell, Reps. Rick Larsen, Jay Inslee, Adam Smith and Brian Baird; Gov. Gary Locke and Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon.

Unfortunately, these New Democrats don't seem to share the Times’ disdain forSen. Kerry, having streamed to the microphone to endorse him over Weepin Joe in recent days.
But I’m sure Joe nonetheless feels warmed by the Times embrace, and looks forward to a place on its editorial mantelpiece, alongside the Times’ previous “centrist” inspirations, the Contract with America and George W. Bush.