Embrace the Big Tent

QUAKERTOWN, PENN. -- Driving through small-town America makes one realize how much the Democratic Party needs to embrace the big tent. One can feel life's simplicity in small towns like Quakertown and Pennsburg, and with numerous churches along every road, one can see how the Democratic base must stop putting candidates up to social-issue litmus tests. We shouldn't feel queezy embracing candidates who can make a difference for the poor and middle class (and narrow the gap between this country's rich and poor, which has widened considerably over 30 years of mostly-Republican leadership) just because they don't share our beliefs on an issue that is really tiny in the scheme of things.

Bob Casey, Jr. is one such candidate. He can neutralize the values voters in small towns like this one with his (and his father's) anti-abortion track record, and he'll do a lot more for the people who really need help (the youngsters we always talk about helping, as opposed to the youngsters Gov. Michael Rounds is talking about) than Rick Santorum.