Mr Light Bulb

My friend Terri promotes her friend's political blog - he calls himself Mr Light Bulb: http://thelightbulbblog.blogspot.com/

Not very illuminating - the standard liberal-bashing, ranting about "Defeatocrats" and using mean-spirited nicknames for prominent Dems, like "Her Vileness" for Hillary and "The Breck Girl" for John Edwards. I find that last one especially galling. It's not John Edwards' fault that he's pretty. And more to the point, he's the only candidate in either party who has attempted to elevate poverty into a legitmate political issue. It's not like taking a principled stand is a winning strategy - unlike Hillary, who tries to walk some weird fine line on the war in Iraq and social issues like abortion. I don't think there's been a prominent Republican who has addressed poverty in any real way since Jack Kemp in the 1980s - that's two decades ago. Most, including GWB, brag about how little poor people matter to them (like at a charity dinner in 2000, when he said, "This is an impressive crowd — the haves and the have-mores. Some people call you the elites; I call you my base.")

In any event, this kind of discourse contributes little to our civic debate. I like a good argument, but not with someone who disparages everyone who disagrees with them as an idiot and moral degenerate. No thanks.