E.D. Kain “Jumps”

I’ve seen this coming for a long time: the formerly prolific, hetrodox conservative blogger E.D. Kain has abandoned the conservatives, passing the liberaltarian lable and going full on liberal. 

Not that being a liberal is a bad thing.  Living in the liberal bastion of Minneapolis, I have a lot (and I mean a lot) of friends who are liberal Democrats.  And I also happen to sleep with a certain liberal gentleman of Scandanavian descent.

That said in some ways, this is sad, because the American center-right needs more people like Erik.  And yet, this is not surprising to me, though it is quite confusing.  I don’t know if it’s age or what, but it has always seemed to me that Erik was trying to figure out who he was and where he fit politically.  One moment he’s a Ron Paulite, the next moment he’s supporting Scott Brown, the next moment he’s writing the ultra-liberal blog Balloon Juice.  Maybe he’s finally found out where he fits.  If so, then I am happy for him even though it is the conservative’s loss.

For me though, I’ve chosen to remain where I am.  I have been tempted, but maybe I’m too old to be changing political stripes.  It was about ten years ago that I made the switch to the conservative column, though with much more emphasis on the center than on the right.  I’ve also decided, at least for now, that it makes sense to stay and be the voice of reason, the voice of reform, the voice of inclusion.

I’m not so full of myself as to think that I alone can change things.  I can’t fight off the creeping know-nothingism of the Tea Party.  I can’t take on Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachmann.  All I can do is be who I am and present another way. 

And maybe at the end of the day, that’s why this blog is here.  To be a quiet presence.  There’s already a lot of shouting from everywhere, and maybe here- we can be a place where we can have some coffee and just converse and create a better future.

I wish Erik the best, but I just hope he stays his wonkish self.  What concerns me about Balloon Juice is how hackish it tends to be.  I prefer sites that are more interested in discussion than just shouting and that blog basically tends to be more about yelling than anything else.

Tagged as: Conservatives, E.D. Kain, Liberals