Conservatives are like a group of elephants being led in circles by circus masters. Slowly, they sway back and forth, huffing and puffing, only to gain little ground after completing a circle.
Liberals, on the other hand, are like a herd of donkeys that swish their tails in frustration, kick up dirt in each other's eyes and travel in meandering directions but eventually make progress, ever so slowly, in traveling down whichever road they choose.
Liberals, for better or worse, have been on the right side of history for some time now. They have stood on the side of social security, the Clean Water Act, the Voting Rights Act, the ending of segregation, Medicaid, Medicare and foreign aid, to name a few.
On Saturday night, liberals in the U.S. House of Representatives showed they were once again on the right side of history with the passage of H.R. 3962 - a bill that provides affordable health care for a majority of Americans.
Before anyone accuses me of cherry picking out of our history books, let me remind readers that just as there have been many conservative democrats throughout our history - 39 democrats voted against H.R. 3962 - so have there been many liberal republicans who have not only supported and enhanced legislations traditionally seen as cause célèbre for Democrats, but have led these progressive grassroots efforts themselves.
With the knowledge of the great progress liberals have made for our country, I've actually been rooting for the Republican Party lately. That's not to say I've "left for the dark side," as one friend told me, but that I've simply wanted what is best for them - namely to end their affair with extreme conservatives.
On Election Night 2008, I was actually excited for the future of the Republican Party.
"Maybe this will be a wake-up call for the Republicans," said the little voice in my head. Maybe, I thought, by 2010 the Republican leadership would realize that the socially conservative, Bible-thumping model wouldn't work for them as the nation's demographics changed. Perhaps they would realize that the entire "Pro-American" platform was a pirate plank that turned off independents disgusted by cheap stereotypes and armed with the knowledge that America's challenges can't be solved by churlish fantasists who wish to simplify the diversity of America.
I was so wrong. In the past year, the loonies haven't been pushed to the curb, they've been elevated as the national spokespeople for the party. Yet, fret not, 2010 hasn't arrived.
The Florida Senate Race, specifically the Republican Primary leading up to the main race, has become a microcosm of our national politics. On the moderate side is Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, who I like not just because of his policies and leadership as governor, but because we share a similar pronunciation of our last name - something that has come in handy when making reservations at a packed restaurant. On the rigid "true conservative" side is former Florida Speaker of the House Marco Rubio, who has verbally assailed Crist for accepting federal stimulus dollars - funds that have saved 30,000 jobs in Florida.
No matter your opinions of these two men, the choice is clear: One is a moderate, pragmatic Republican (Crist), and the other is not (Rubio).
If Florida truly is a microcosm of national politics, then 2010 will not just be a pivotal year for the Republicans but for the future of progress.
Matthew Christ is a political science sophomore. His column appears on Mondays.
