Daily Briefing For Sunday, February 17, 2013

The Confluence of Left and Right

Most of you will not believe me, but I am going to say this anyway.  We are undergoing a magnetic pole swap in American politics.  To wit:

• Republicans are now decidedly "anti-war."
• Democrats speak soto voce about the militarization of North Africa and drone strikes.
• Republicans fear the erosion of civil liberties.
• Democrats support the NDAA.
• Republicans push for home schooling and the right to drink unpasteurized milk.
• Democrats oppose transparency at the Federal Reserve.

Now I am quite sure a number of you will complain I'm painting with a broad brush here, and admittedly I am - not all Democrats and all Republicans take the positions outlined above.  But let's be realistic: twelve years ago, did anyone expect the Democrats to be supporting a drone war in Pakistan, which is targeting American citizens?  And would anyone have believed Republicans would be decrying the loss of civil liberties?

Yet this is precisely where we find ourselves.

One of the things that gives me hope about our future is that a number of conservatives and liberals are breaking out of the left/right/blue/red/donkey/elephant paradigm and are looking at ways to collaborate on issues.  For example, here in pro-America Texas, three state representatives - an Austin liberal, a Tea Party favorite and a strong supporter of Texas business - have teamed up to put together a package of legislation to help support local farming and self sufficiency.

I've said this before - our efforts continue to attract people on both ends of the political spectrum.  We should be mindful of that as we move forward.

This Week

I will be off frequency this coming week.  Work is quite busy these days.  Stay safe.