Originally Posted by Radley Balko

Losing My Bearings

from here:

I understand that this election presented two very passionate, very divided factions.

But I'm having a hard time figuring the lefty blogs' lament that though he's now talking bipartisanship, a Bush second term will be more of the same right-wing extremism, or extreme conservativsm.

What do they mean? Do they mean expansion of the regulatory state? The prescription drug benefit? Campaign finance reform? Huge subsidies to farmers? Increased funding for job training programs? Trade protections for favored labor groups? Futher federalizing education? Bigger budgets for the departments of Labor, Energy, and Education? Do they mean the PATRIOT Act, which all but one Democrat senator supported? Or the war in Iraq, which most Democrat leaders also supported? Extremism on the drug war? Medicinal marijuana? Didn't hear many Democrats speaking out there, either.

Exactly which Bush first term policies were overly conservative? I'd like to know, so I can hang on to at least a shred of optimism going into January. His most radical domestic proposals likely to find opposition from Democrats that I agree with -- Social Security, reforming the tax code, trade liberalization -- have mostly been rhetoric (though he's gotten better on trade), as have his most radical ideas I disagree with -- constitutional amendments banning same sex marriages and flag burning, and radical judicial appointments (there were a few, but he didn't fight for them).

If Bush's first term has been right-wing extremism, I need a compass. I've apparently become disortiented.