&uot;I agree with you that in politics the middle way is no way at all.&uot; &045; John Adams, 1776, in a letter to Horatio Gates

Despite the fact that Mr. Adams was one of our most important founding fathers &045; and a president of the United States &045; I don’t agree with his view of &uot;the middle way&uot; in politics. Neither do I agree with the late Sen. (and former presidential candidate) Barry Goldwater of Arizona when he paraphrased Thomas Paine, another founder: Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.

I have problems with people who reject moderation and embrace extremism in

politics here in America. It’s the same kind of problem I have with extremism in men like Osama bin Laden or Ariel Sharon.

While actual violence is not always the outcome of extremism, it is rarely far away. Adams was in the middle of organizing a war against one of the world’s superpowers; his concerns were as much about the battlefield as they were with political debates. Goldwater was a cold warrior par excellence, who saw enemies of America everywhere who needed to be defeated. Currently we see how extremist foes of abortion condone the murder of doctors. Extreme attitudes toward animal rights lead to the destruction of research and (ironically) the deaths of lab animals.

And even when they’re not out trying to hurt people, extremists are not good neighbors. Not being good listeners, they usually have their minds made up long before they actually start discussing anything. They are often surrounded by empty-headed flatterers, whose two main jobs are to say &uot;how right you are&uot; and then ridicule people who don’t say that &045; kind of like the fans of certain extremist media personalities or spokespeople for the NRA.

So when &uot;experts&uot; say that new (successful) political movements never come from the middle of the political spectrum, I also disagree. Only time will provide confirmation of the staying power of the Independence Party in Minnesota, but so far things look good. Moderate opinions are out where people can see them. Tim Penny is seen as the frontrunner in the governor’s race. Once again it appears that the extremists in the abortion and anti-tax movements (on the Republican side) and in the public employee labor unions (on the Democratic side) are not in the majority among the electorate. They may control the party machines, but they don’t control the people.

What I see in Minnesota are voters who are fed up with the hardened extremism of the two-party system in our state, and in the nation as well. Jesse Ventura was, in many respects, a disappointment to the many independent voters who elected him. But he seemed closer to the political opinions and beliefs of ordinary people &045; who, for the most part, are not extremists when it comes to any issue. You can’t be an extremist and live happily with other people, for one thing. And in our daily lives, solving problems in our neighborhoods and communities is more important than &uot;winning&uot; arguments with people who don’t agree with us.

Now, as a voter with an open mind, I know that good ideas are not solely the property of any one party, and I will be voting for some candidates from other parties, as well. In one race &045; for U.S. Senate &045; I will be voting for the incumbent, who has consistently tried to help ordinary people and who recognizes the corrosive nature of capitalism in our society (something too many other politicians ignore). In another &045; involving our local state Rep. Dan Dorman &045; I will also be voting for the incumbent, who has demonstrated independence, initiative and intelligence. In the sheriff’s race, which is officially non-partisan, I favor Phil Bartusek, because he’s the candidate who recognizes the limitations of law enforcement when it comes to solving society’s problems. He’s also more likely to look for ways for police departments in the county and the sheriff’s office to coordinate their resources.

Still, despite my occasional defections, I have high hopes for the Independence Party and plan on supporting its candidates. Despite what the &uot;experts&uot; say, there is a role in politics for people with open minds, who don’t come to a debate with their minds made up before they even started thinking about the problem.

David Rask Behling is a rural Albert Lea resident. His column appears Tuesdays.