I’m more conservative than Bush

You know, I don’t think we should be using the word “conservative” to describe right-wing extremism. Too many people, even people with a fair number of progressive, even liberal political views, see themselves as conservative, and see conservatism as a good thing that means something like preserving what’s good and not changing things too fast.
Frankly, the Democrats are the conservative party now. Yes, they champion a left-of-center set of policy prescriptions, but then again the center has drifted right quite a bit in the last thirty years. Most Democratic positions are moderate and consensus driven. The Republicans are boldly radical *and* reactionary at the same time.
Hell, I’m more conservative than the Republican Party and I’m a left-wing freak from the Bay Area.
(Reprinted from the ‘Kerry vs. Bush, the Battle is Joined’ topic in the Well’s politics conference, because, you know, I own my own words there.)