A Progressive on the Prairie

The report that SD GOP workers who resigned because of absentee ballot investigations will now work for the Bush-Cheney campaign in the swing state of Ohio is made a bit more interesting by today's Paul Krugman column opining on "a Republican Party culture in which dirty tricks that distort the vote are rewarded, not punished."

While the absentee ballot commotion may not constitute "dirty tricks," hiring these people where even Thune's campaign manager calls "the place to be" for presidential politics seems more advancement than sanction.


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I didn't watch the Kerry-Bush debate Wednesday but heard an excerpt of Bush's comment that Kerry is on the left bank of the mainstream. But let's see where the "mainstream" really is on some of the key issues facing us.

• When it comes to abortion, an ABC News/Washington Post poll indicates only 20 percent believe it should be illegal in all cases. In contrast, 23 precent say it should be legal in all cases, 31 pecent say legal in most cases and 23 percent say it should be illegal in "most" cases. That means 77 percent of the country rejects outlawing abortion. A slightly earlier NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showed 53 percent believe the decision should be solely up to a woman and her doctor and only 15 percent believed it should always be illegal.
  
  
• As for the budget, an AP poll showed 61 percent favored balancing the budget as opposed to 36 percent who favored cutting taxes. Another poll similarly showed that 59 percent said cutting the deficit is a better way to improve the economy than cutting taxes.
  
  
• On the environment, 46 percent think Bush is doing a poor job protecting the environment, 55 percent think the federal govenrment is doing too little to protect the environment, and 58 percent think the environment is getting worse.
  
  
• 56 percent of people think the nation is on the wrong track.
  
  
• As for health care, when asked which was more important, providing health care coverage for all Americans, even if it means raising taxes, or holding down taxes, 79 percent opted for coverage for all. Similarly, 62 percent support a universal health care system as opposed to only 33 percent who support our current system of health care delivery.
  
  
• 64 percent of the public support federal funding of stem cell research, including 53 percent of those identifying themselves as Republicans.
  

Tell me again who's outside the mainstream.

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