"I've always been a Republican, uh, for, um, the traditional principles that have been associated with the Republican Party since I, you know, became a Republican, uh, when I registered to vote. And that is, uh, limited, you know, limited government, individual opportunity, fiscal responsibility, and a strong national defense. Uh, so I think that those principles have always been, uh, part of the Republican Party heritage, and I believe that I, you know, reflect those views. And I haven't changed as a Republican, I think more that my party has changed."—Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine).
My friend Steve contextualizes this comment well; it's unlikely Snowe's going to change parties anytime soon.
The reason I'm posting it is because it underlines so pointedly that the Democratic Party is now essentially what the Republican Party used to be; "limited government, individual opportunity, fiscal responsibility, and a strong national defense" sounds like the platform Obama actually ran on (and Clinton, too). The Republican Party is now just a palatable, regionally-electable version of rightwing extremism, and the American left is functionally unrepresented by either political party. (No disrespect to Senator Bernie Sanders, heh.)
