Here are two questions I have, for anyone who cares to answer:

1) Conservatives frequently deride Democrats for stifling political opposition within their own party, not allowing freedom of political thought and generally being all Big Brother-y about maintaining ideological purity. If that’s even true (which I don’t feel is 100% accurate), why are conservatives now trying to drown out more moderate voices within their own party – folks like Jim DeMint (no friend to liberals), who are publicly pointing out that without a Big Tent philosophy the Republican party stands a very real chance of continuing disintegration in the name of political purity?

2) Why don’t Republicans who are critical of a strong central government notice the dichotomy between that belief and their bear hug embrace of Abraham Lincoln as the founder of their party? Lincoln demonstrably had the most pro-Federal government administration in this country’s history (cf., 1861-1865).

These are honest questions, not rhetorical pool noodles. I don’t have answers for them, and I really am genuinely interested in hearing cogent, non-shouty answers.

I’m cogitating a post about Specter and a political trend that has been developing over the past fifteen years, and where that might be leading, and I’ll post that once its finished. Then I’m probably gonna lay off the political stuff for a while. It’s starting to wear me out again.