Rand Paul has taken a shot at Chris Christie, blasting him for not being conservative enough. This is a line of argument I've seen a lot of in recent years, especially during last year's Republican Primary. One candidate will slam another candidate for not being conservative enough. It's like being moderate and not driven by rigid ideology is a bad thing.
I've seen the Democrats slam each other for supporting things that Republicans have supported, like the War in Iraq. But I've never seen them accusing each other of not being liberal enough.
I have heard plenty of liberals say (and have myself said) that Obama is not as far left as they would like. However, that is almost always with the understanding that someone farther left wouldn't get the election and wouldn't be able to get bipartisan support to get things done (though that's a problem anyway). It seems that the conservatives have lost this understanding due to some of their extremists winning in 2010.
ReplyDeleteIt could also be seen as a difference in strategy. The right are trying to get the most hardcore members they can into every office, in order to enact changes on the state and local levels, and have an extreme voice in congress pushing the "moderate" position farther right. The left are slowly working toward massive super majorities at the national level, so that they can then get a bunch done on the national level. It seems to me that as long as the right doesn't start another revolution in the name of state's rights, the left will win... eventually.