A recent post addressed problems with the current two party system. Incumbents tend to remain in office. These incumbents have failed to confront major issues such as health care and have led us to bankruptcy. The solution proposed to solve our ills is for energized moderates of each party to wrest control from the idiots in charge.
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http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/jasoneverettmiller/.
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Other than tossing the bums out, it is unclear what issues these energized moderates would be rallying to tackle. Some may be energized by deficit spending, others by armed intervention in the Middle East. Still others may be upset about the health care debate. Both parties have done a poor job of executing a rational policy in all these areas. What makes moderates believe that their solutions will fare any better than what has come before? What is their rationale for existing? What is the rallying cry?
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During the last election Democrats had to travel through minefields of that included being considered soft on national defense, being spendthrifts, racial animosity, gender bias. etc.
Democrats had to prove, that they were truly patriotic. flag lapel pins anyone? A female Caucasian Democrtic voter in Pennsylvania who was laid off from work and had a sick husband at home felt the flag lapel question was the most important thing to sk of Obama.
Democrats are always defending their patriotism. Even  John Kerry who served in Vietnam did not escape this fate. Republicans faced none of these minefields. The GOP got a pass on natonal security issues.
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There was even a knock down drag out fight about race during the Democratic Primary. African-American voters were called racists for their high levels of support for Obama. The Clintons were called racists for remarks made during the run up to the South Carolina Primary. One Clinton supporter, Taylor Marsh, felt that Ted Kennedy was an embarassment because he supported Obama. Several women rights activist posted agreement on blogs. The internal strife was great. When the smoke cleared and Obama was declared the winner, African-Americans said that they could vote for Hillary Clinton as VP, despite the heat that occurred during the Primary. Female Democrats  found a way to vote for Obama in the general election despite the racism charge from Obama supporters and the gender bias shown by the media. Remember the Clinton cleavage question in the WaPo?  (Note: The WaPo has now moved on to question whether it is proper for Michelle Obama to wear shorts).
Latinos were not supposed to vote for Obama because Latinos were racists. I guess the election results of the perecentage support that Obama got from Latinos was a mirage.
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The reason for pointing out the painful periods of the Democratic Primary is that many different factions got to voice their grievances. At the end of the day the factions pulled together to support a candidate. As messy and frustrating as the Democrats can be, I prefer them to the Republicans. Taylor Marsh posted a fond remembrance of Sen Ted Kennedy on the Huffington Post, she moved on. Seems like a moderate thing to do, just like the African-American voters. We had Whites, Backs and Latinos challenge each other. For someone to suggest that that didn't look like America is ridiculous.
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There can not be a discussion about race in the GOP, because the GOP doesn't believe that race exists. Worse, the GOP is not above race-baiting. If grassroots GOP moderates are going to grab power from those in charge in the GOP, they are going to have to show me something more than a blog post. Confront the race-baiters and gun-toters, Male the GOP more than essentially a whitebread party The GOP lost the Latino and Afrcan-American vote by .
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I watched Republicans applaud as Michael Steele told a woman who lost her mother to cancer partky because of insurance limitations that she was just looking for a photo-op. Black and White Republicans applauded. Have the GOP moderates done anything to address this?.
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In the post mentioned above, when I pointed out that the GP fringe had some starnge beliefs, I was told not to focus on the fringe. When I said that the GOP leadership had similar starnge beliefs (Death panels to kill grandma), I was told that it was asinine to try to throttle the GOP leadership before deigning to speak to those at the bottom of the GOP. I suppose he meant the moderates. If the GOP fringe is doing the shouting at the townhalls and the GOP leadeship is stoking the anger, where are we to go to find these GOP moderates. Having a discussion on a blog is nice, but where is the beef? Is there anything required of the supposed GOP moderates, or are Democrats just suppossed to believe that some folks on a blog are representaive of a larger group?
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Where are the GOP moderates in the current debate? Show me proof that the GOP moderates are actually adressing problems within the GOP. Actions, not just words
Democrats we are told, do not speak to real Americans. I guess the white, black and brown Democrati voters in the last electon were the fake Americans.