"Dave" wrote in message

On Wed, 23 Jun 2004 14:03:54 -0400, DSK said:

Hint- neither the whole Democratic Party nor "the Dem core" is far left,
pretty much by definition.

Only if you adopt a strained definition of "core." The term is understood
in
general parlance to mean those party members who not only belong to the
party and vote for its candidates, but who work actively for its
candidates
and provide their dollars. I think that core is generally pretty far left.
You may disagree based on your observations, but it's not a matter that
can
be arrived at axiomatically.

I think the "core" is not so far left as the media would have us believe,
Dave. To the contrary I think it is probably split 50-50 between moderates
and liberals, making it a melding pot of something in between. Most
democrat candidates for Congress and the Senate preach family values,
state's rights, and such. Few actually spew the liberal litany while on the
stump, with notable exceptions in NY and CA. And the liberal part of the
core votes for 'em because they are democrats, despite their centrist
positions. Presidential candidates tend to jump on the liberal bandwagon a
bit more for some reason which is anyone's guess. But even Gore backed down
on his liberal rhetoric as the campaign moved along, claiming every man's
right to own firearms and to hunt, for example. Clinton, if you recall,
promised everyone a tax cut. That it never materialized is
inconsequential--he campaigned largely as a centrist. And with NAFTA and
welfare reform he lived up to his claim.

Max