IMHO

First some quotes to preface my rant.

Those who will not reason, are bigots; those who cannot, are fools; and those who dare not, are slaves. -Lord Byron

You do not examine legislation in the light of the benefits it will convey if properly administered, but in the light of the wrongs it would do and the harms it would cause if improperly administered. -Lyndon B. Johnson

The Rant

The problem with the extreme Right and the extreme Left is that they are so set in their opinions that they will not listen to anything or anyone else. One tends to legislate from the pulpit and the other from an ivory tower. Both are guilty of paternalistic, dogmatic, black and white thinking. If you haven't figured it out, this is the best way to TURN OFF swing voters. To extremists on both sides of the aisle, it would do you well to stop living in your self-created bubbles and see just how out-of-touch you are with much of America. Whichever party does this first, is going to be the big winner in the long run.

Why did Senator Brown win? Besides the fact that many people are hurting and not yet feeling the "benefits" of the "recovery," there is another reason that the Democrats need to consider. The Democrats made a fatal error by refusing to answer questions in a meaningful way about health care reform. Folks with real questions are told, "you are trying to derail healthcare." Or, just as bad, all too often "answered" with "holier-than-thou" stone-walling responses that do nothing to show any real desire to listen or to address questions and concerns. Sure there are those who want nothing more than to derail health care reform in its entirety. But, you are letting them win, letting them succeed by not seeking out and talking to those who truly just want clarification and answers.

What about the person who is not against the idea of healthcare reform in some form, but, also doesn't want to throw money at a problem just to SAY something has been done. What about providing a solid plan with a solid explanation of how the plan will be effective in its implementation and efficient in its costs? It is a mistake to assume that anyone with questions is seeking to derail the whole thing. It is also a mistake to assume that anyone with questions does not have any worthwhile ideas to contribute. Such attitudes are exactly why the Democrats have alienated so many.

Wouldn't it be interesting to compare legislation created by the vocal extremes with legislation, hopefully one day, created by pragmatic moderates of both parties? Now, that is change I could believe in. And, in fact, what I believe many moderates believed Obama was espousing when he ran for President.