This idea stems from a recent article I read about global warming in which Bob Lutz (big car guy formerly of GM, Chrysler, Ford, and BMW) insists that it’s a bunch of garbage and a scientist named Neil deGrasse Tyson tells him he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

But Bob Lutz is not the only guy that insists it’s hokey, and Neil Tyson is not the only one saying it’s not.  From what I can tell, the argument largely falls upon party lines with conservatives saying it’s junk and liberals saying it’s not.  How are the moderates supposed to make up their minds?

So today’s idea is this: a site that covers all the major topics of controversy with opinions from both (all?) sides of the issue represented.  The rules are:

1. You have to use your real identity to participate
2. Recognized experts in the field can post opinion pieces to represent the different viewpoints on the issue (limited to 2 pages, so you really have to distill your content to the bare bones)
3. Constructive comments are allowed on all primary opinions to encourage dialog
4. Neutral moderators summarize the opinion pieces from the different sides
5. Participants can choose a side to support and only then can they vote on the best arguments & supporting facts for that side (you can’t downvote the opposition)
6. Issues are presented in a simple format with the summaries from all sides visible up front and you can dive into individual arguments from there

Those who have not yet formed their opinions now have a resource of information where they can go and read the best arguments from each side and make up their own minds.  It’s like a political kaleidoscope.  Single issue in focus and you can see all the different facets.  Maybe a diamond or gemstone would be a better analogy, but I really like this kaleidoscope picture.

It’s not secret that I’ve been supporting Mitt in my own small ways, but it’s been acknowledged many times that if you’re looking for a conservative who supports the three traditional conservative pillars, Mitt Romney is your man.

Sure McCain is gobbling up lots of the independent votes, but the number of Republicans voting for McCain says one of two things: Either Americans in general are getting less conservative and care less about families, life, lower taxes, etc. or they’re (for some reason) willing to believe that McCain will not continue to do as he’s done in the past and thumb his nose at the conservative Republicans from whence his support comes.

All the people voting for Huckabee says something a little worse. Though Huckabee staunchly refuses to accept the fact that his completely unexpected success yesterday represents anything but a resurgence in his bid for President, it’s now widely known that McCain was throwing his votes in the Huck direction in an effective (though below-the-belt) tactic to keep Romney from getting votes.

Whether people don’t like Romney because he’s a Mormon, or because McCain’s palpable feelings of personal hatred towards Gov. Romney are contagious, it certainly seems that though the country is willing to elect it’s first woman president, or it’s first black president, the fear/misunderstanding of Mormonism has not been completely overcome.

Prejudice works both ways and the incredibly strong showing at the Southern Polls shows a bit of prejudice in the opposite direction.

Well, things look bad in the Mitt camp this morning, but what scares me the most is how divisive this has been for the party in general. I’ve heard many good conservative people voicing opinions that they’d rather vote for Hillary than McCain. There’s a scary thought.