I find interesting Mr. Waterston's comments about Sen. Goldwater.
The thing that scared me about Goldwater was the way he could make offhanded jokes about nuclear war with the Soviets. I did not find it funny when he talked about lobbing a nuclear bomb into the men's room at the Kremlin.
In most ways, Sen. Goldwater's libertarian views were not too far from what most American's felt. However, his anti social security views were contrary to most peoples'. His vote against the civil rights act help him to bring the South into the Republican camp, although he himself supported the NAACP most of the time.
When he said things like "Extremism in the defence of liberty is not a vice....", he made it easier for the people who later took over the Republican party to justify their immoral and illegal actions. Bumper stickers from the time, "None dare call it treason", would eventually lead to a Republican party that feels comfortable committing treason, when it outs a CIA agent for temporary political gain.
Sen. Goldwater was a complicated man. He was very disappointed in what the Republican party had become by the 1990s, as well he should have been. He called the neo-cons "kooks." If he were still alive today, I think he might be glad to discuss with Mr. Waterston the creation of something to replace the GOP.

Waterston has it wrong. Bipartisanship is the problem, with both parties allying more often than not on the wrong side all the important issues. We need a radical party to contest these complicit establishment bastards.

No shit Sherlock.

The criminals Bush and Cheney start a war based on lies.

The DumbOcrats too frightened to impeach them.

Yup, it's broken.

According to the main stream media and the GOP isn't bipartisanship simply letting the Republicans do what they want? Every compromise the Democrats have made has been ignored or completely trashed by the GOP. Yes the system is broken, but it is the GOP who broke it and refuses to fix it. I love Law & Order but Sam Waterson is an idiot.

Our system sure is broken. Duh! But it's because it exists in a bubble, outside of John Q Public, thanks to corporatism. The squabbling is a minor problem. I think it's staged to take away from the real collaborationist tendencies of both parties to erode the liberties of the people and of the US Constitution. Unity is not really what is needed as a remedy because the system is rigged against We the People. We the People need an honest broker; we need to clean house.

If Obama doesn't win, I'd rather vote for Bloomie, if he runs.

The economic system is broken. We should insist all corporations be non-profit. Wall Street should be eliminated.

Profit is the problem with the economy. Profit takes money out of circulation.

Um,

maybe there is a little bitterness after the last six plus years.

I wonder why.

Silly Waterston! Doesn't he know that only right-wing actors like Chuck Norris and Charlton Heston are allowed to voice political opinions?

Why doesn't anybody listen to him? At least he's a smarter AND better actor than Thompson will ever be.

The middle-class was established only perhaps 65 years ago and now it is being eliminated. I believe we should establish a Labor Party for blue-collar wokers and people on salary. The current Democrats are supporting the positions of the corporate world well enough. Since the Republican Party and their President have trashed the U. S. Constitution (George Bush said, "...it's only a god-damned piece of paper.") and seem well on their way to abolishing it, we will abolish the Republican Party resulting again in a two-party system. Thomas Jefferson made a suggestion that is worth considering, moving the U. S. Capitol from Washingto D. C. Relocating it to St. Louis or other fitting site could be a desirable pursuit. be considered. As we start up a 3rd party, we must break up the choke hold the military-industrial complex has on our country and the similar leash the Likud party has on our U. S. Congress.

ok sam since you choose to speak for the center, let's see you advocate for the social safety net provided to Europeans.

I agree that something must be done to correct our nation's course. Further, it can not be trusted to the political parties as they exist now. For those invested in the parties as they are now constituted, ... or one might say "prostituted", the candidates and current officeholders, their patrons and lobbyists, ... Waterston's words, and mine, represent a serious challenge. Get over it! You have no entitlement to power, I am glad to say.

Mr. Shook raises a truth, that the GOP provides alll the rancor in politics today. The Democrats, it seems, provide all the token opposition this nation can stand. What is needed is something the Democrats as a party are unwilling and unable to provide, namely courageous and unyielding leadership to restore Civil Liberties, pursue Civil Rights, repair our Justice system, and guide our economy through the unprecedented risks of debt and inflation that lie ahead thanks to the GOP's drunken spell at the helm of our government.

No, Mr. Shook, I believe we need to hear every voice that stands in recognition that the two party system in place at this time is irreparably broken. I am watching the Democratic leaders in the Senate as they stand in the way of Senator Dodd's position against immunity for the telecom's. In the name of compromise? In the name of cooperation? No, ... in the name of their contributors and to avoid standing against the Republicans.

Telling critics to shove their heads up their ass, Milt, persuades no one, and counters nothing that is said. In fact, ... it simply proves, in this instance, that Waterston's comment about "bitter partisanship", is correct. partisanship of inside politicians against independents who have had our fill of the parties' collusive destruction of our nation.

now tell us something we don't know.

"Look at the facts; the current incarnation of the GOP never talks about policy specifics; they only talk about how the personalities. They talked about Gore's "flip flopping" and his "inventing the Internet," they never talked about his stance on issues or offered alternatives. When they ran against Kerry, it was all about his military service, and lies about it. They attacked Max Cleland's patriotism, and they attack anyone who goes against Bush as "unpatriotic.""

Excellent milt. This is exactly their thing. Who needs to actually debate issues or be well informed when one can do what you note above? Let's hope more and more people realize that they spend hours a day,week after week, month after month, year after year, actually saying nothing.

This is complete and utter nonsense, and proof that the Republican Party is simply much better at political propaganda than Democrats.

The Democratic Party is not engaged in "bitter partisanship" at all; it's only the far right of the Republican Party. Please; I would like to see Waterston and others point to this supposed "bitter partisanship" coming from the Democratic side.

We Democrats resent the far right specifically, and not Republicans in general. We fight against the far right's positions, while the far right only engages in personal attacks.

Look at the facts; the current incarnation of the GOP never talks about policy specifics; they only talk about how the personalities. They talked about Gore's "flip flopping" and his "inventing the Internet," they never talked about his stance on issues or offered alternatives. When they ran against Kerry, it was all about his military service, and lies about it. They attacked Max Cleland's patriotism, and they attack anyone who goes against Bush as "unpatriotic."

If people like Waterston would take their heads out of their ample asses for a second, they would find that all of this "bitter partisanship" is very one-sided. Find me a "bitter partisan" anywhere in the Democratic field. And yet, everyone on the Republican side, except for John McCain and Ron Paul, have attacked the Democrats for being, well, Democrats.

This is a "cause" without a purpose...

Milt Shook
Author, Talent on Loan