[Vision2020] Me, Matt D, and Phil's lingering good influence

[Matt Decker]

Joan,

Thank you Joan

Matt

>From: Joan Opyr <joanopyr at moscow.com>
>To: Vision2020 Moscow <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Subject: [Vision2020] Me, Matt D, and Phil's lingering good influence
>Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 13:08:57 -0800
>
>Dear Visionaries:
>
>Without discussing the content of our messages, I wanted to first thank 
>Matt for a gracious note apologizing for calling me "babe."  Little did he 
>know that "babe," like "chick," is one of the many fuses attached to my 
>enormous cache of dynamite.  I believe him when he says he didn't mean it 
>as it sounded, and I am in turn sorry I threatened his family jewels.  His 
>future progeny are safe from me and my wicked boots.
>
>What I explained to Matt, offlist, was that I believe that political 
>discourse in this country has shifted so far to the right that there are no 
>true, political liberals in the public eye -- Hillary Clinton and John 
>Kerry are not liberals.  At best, they're center-right; at worst, they're 
>only slightly to the left of George Bush.  I am alarmed that people like 
>Michael Kinsley and Leonard Pitts pass for liberals; they're centrists.  I 
>don't have a problem with centrists -- the real political work in this 
>country generally takes place in the moderate center -- but as we've swung 
>so hard to the right, the center has shifted.  Without the loud, proud 
>voices of hard leftists to counter the hard right voices of the Limbaughs 
>and the Colters, we find ourselves at a dangerous and awkward tilt.  When 
>Richard Nixon's policies can be clearly seen to be more leftist than 
>Hillary Clinton's, we've got a problem.  We've got no balance.
>
>But back to Matt -- he, like Phil, generously extended the olive branch, 
>and -- because of Phil -- I accepted it.  I believe that Matt and I can 
>find common ground.  I believe that we can deal with one another with 
>genuine respect and appreciation.  I'm going to try anyway because I think 
>Matt's a decent guy.  He thinks I should try harder to be a little more 
>centrist; I disagree.  I intend to swing out to the hard left and hang onto 
>the farthest branch like an orangutan until the center is once again 
>dragged back to where it truly belongs.  But that's no reason why we can't 
>be friends . . .
>
>Territory folk should stick together
>Territory folk should all be pals.
>Ranchers dance with the farmer's daughters,
>Farmers dance with the Rancher's cows!
>
>Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment
>www.joanopyr.com
>
>PS: Thanks, Matt.
>
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>                              mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

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