The question I see underneath this discussion is, Is RC a group and a philosophy that is organic and open to attempting to influence and to be influenced?
Kevin Solomon : Please be patient with us. If you give the group a little time I do not think you will be disappointed. ( 1 ) There will be a variety of Radical Centrist postings, per se, there always is. But day-to-day it can be almost anything. Subject matter includes a range of issues and topics, depending on what is happening in the news but also depending on personal interests from one week to the next. ( 2 ) One recent objective has been to see if there are any good ways available to reach Libertarians. The reason for this is because RC.org has the ambition, along with other Radical Centrists, to provide a platform for Independent voters, a platform and as many ideas around which to coalesce as feasible. Our hope is for RC to become, in time, the default position of Independents. This said, clearly Libertarians are our biggest competitors for exactly this. And the reality is that they have been "out there" for decades now and, depending on which statistics you believe, are the major non-Left / non-Right influence on Independents. Somewhere in the 15 % to 25 % range. That is, people significantly influenced, not necessarily ( or usually ) "strong" Libertarian supporters. So, there is an important twofold question for us, first, what are the strengths of Libertarianism which are compatible with RC which we can work with, and, second, what are the weaknesses in Libertarianism that we can demolish to good effect ? Best way to find out is through dialogue. ( 3 ) There are a set of informal "gentlemen's rules" here that, while never stated explicitly. maybe should be made overt at this time. The most important might be the simple rule, don't push too hard. Don't overdue enthusiasm for any one cause, whatever it is. We have a good deal of toleration for many different points of view and for many different ideas, this is what RC is all about, but none of us wish to be browbeaten about anything, whether someone's critical view of some arch bete noir like Islam, or someone's gung-ho support for a political candidate or political cause. That is, criticize what you think deserves it, but don't expect anyone here to have your level of commitment to the same cause. Could happen, but very unlikely. As well, spare us political evangelization. We are more than happy to hear someone out, and in 2008 some of us were enthusiasts for one or another candidate, but every day as the only subject for discussion ? None of us want that. Hopefully this clarifies things Billy -------------------------------------------------------------------- 11/30/2011 1:03:46 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes: I realize I just joined this group, but I was under the impression it was for centrists, it being called 'Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community' and all not fringe libertarian supporters of Ron Paul-oids. He's far more extreme on the whole than Obama, or even most of the GOP field, although in a different way than the social conservatism of most of the rest of the field. Solomon Kleinsmith Rise of the Center -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
