PAUL HOGARTH

One of the trends I've noticed this election cycle is that former Republican members of Congress are coming out of retirement to re-enter politics because they are fed up at how extreme their party (and politics in general) has become.

First Lowell Weicker announced that he may try to re-claim his old Senate because Joe Lieberman has moved so far to the right and has a maniacal devotion to George Bush and the War in Iraq. Of course, Weicker admitted that he's old and he'd rather see someone else run -- but said that he'd do it if nobody else will.

This week in California, we learned that former Congressman Pete McCloskey is running against Republican Congressman Richard Pombo because "this is no Republican Party I recognize today."

I admit that I had no idea about McCloskey's record before he expressed an interest in running against Pombo -- but after some quick research, wow!! He ran for President in 1972 on an anti-war platform, and he co-authored the Endangered Species Act. That sounds better than a lot of Democrats!! And this guy was once a Republican Congressman?? It just goes to show you how right-wing politicians have become when geriatric former Congressmen come out of retirement because they're upset at how conservative Republicans (and in the case of Joe Lieberman, Democrats!) have become.

It goes to show you that Tony Kushner's words couldn't be better put - what used to be called conservative is now called moderate, what used to be called moderate is now called liberal, what used to be called liberal is now called radical, what used to be called radical is now called insane, and what used to be called insane is now called conservative. You know what's even scarier?? Tony Kushner said that ten years ago!

# posted by Paul Hogarth (SF) @ 1:21 PM