Here's who influences our public debate
These area people count. Forget about all-or-nothing political discourse.

11/18/2007

By Michael Smerconish

"With a year to go before voters across the United States go to the polls to elect their 44th president, the Daily Telegraph unveils its list of the 100 most influential conservatives and 100 most influential liberals in America. "

So read the preamble to an English newspaper listing that has U.S. pundits spinning overtime.

America's top conservative, according to the Brits? Rudy Giuliani. President Bush was way down at No. 21. (Why? "The short answer: The list is about the future rather than the past. ") Gen. David Petraeus followed Rudy. Matt Drudge, Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh rounded out the top five.

Bill Clinton was deemed America's top liberal. Al Gore was No. 2, followed by Clinton pollster and strategist Mark Penn. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was fourth, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ranked fifth.

Perhaps our friends across the pond should stick to soccer and pints.

Giuliani is no one's embodiment of traditional U.S. conservatism. Nor does Petraeus' role as a military leader automatically make him a conservative. Joe Lieberman's appearance on both lists says something for his independence, but nothing for the lists themselves.

The significance of the lists lies not in their composition, but in what they suggest about political debate in this country (or the perception of political debate as created by the media). Political discourse has become an all-or-nothing game. You're a conservative or a liberal, a Republican or a Democrat, a white or dark hat - or you are unrepresented in the cross-talk that dominates the discussion.

This demarcation is at odds with my experience, which tells me that the only people in America who are consistently liberal or doctrinaire conservative are the television caricatures created for the pundits. I know. At times, I have played one on TV.

Yet in truth, I don't fit on anyone's list. What exactly do you call a person who believes that Mumia Abu-Jamal should fry for murdering Danny Faulkner; profiling is necessary for the war on terror; stem-cell research is good; Roe v. Wade should stand; and we need a fence built to secure our porous southern border?

Call it sour grapes for not having made any list, but I offer you an alternative. It's a Reasonable Persons List, composed of people who follow no one's talking points but their own. Nationally, my list might include former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey and former Florida Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham. Bono would make my Most Reasonable, and maybe even Howard Stern.

Locally, my list is composed of leaders in a variety of professions, each of whom influences the public debate in his or her own unique way. To a person, they think outside the narrow confines of doctrinaire politics:

Jim Matthews: Last year's Republican candidate for lieutenant governor should have been the one leading the ticket. Why? Because Matthews embodies the model the Republican Party must follow to hold on to the ever-valuable suburban counties - and the results last week in Montgomery County prove guys like him can do it. Unlike his brother Chris, Matthews doesn't play hardball. He's a likable guy who is moderate on the issues and values things like open space and lower taxes.

Patrick Murphy: A Blue Dog Democrat and the only member of Congress to have served in Iraq, Rep. Murphy represents a suburban district whose mixed views reflect his own.

Lynne Abraham: Philadelphia's four-term district attorney is consistently one of the most popular elected officials in the city, for good reason: She's tough, and isn't waiting for anyone else's marching orders before she makes her move. Her office's unflappable pursuit of justice on behalf of Officer Danny Faulkner over the last 15 years is proof of that.

Sister Mary Scullion: Because you can't have a list these days without including Sister Mary.

Sam Katz: Katz proved his reasonableness creds during the 2003 mayoral election, when he kept his composure (perhaps to a fault) in the face of some wildly unscrupulous campaigning. That aside, Katz is a principled guy who runs on issues and knows his stuff.

Bill Cosby: The man who played Dr. Huxtable is a hardscrabble Philly guy who isn't afraid to chastise African Americans for not accepting responsibility for the dissolution of their own families and communities.

Rob Andrews: The New Jersey congressman has earned his moderate reputation not only by sticking to his pro-defense and fiscally conservative mantras, but also by staying above the fray in his state's rough-and-tumble political climate. Andrews voted to authorize the war in Iraq, and stuck by that vote - careful to distinguish between his support for the war and his criticism of how the Bush administration handled it.

Arlen Specter: The ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee has ethics beyond reproach, and doesn't care which side of the aisle he ticks off. Whether he's advancing the single-bullet conclusion, defending Larry Craig, or attempting to torpedo the nomination of Michael Mukasey for U.S. attorney general, Sen. Specter has his own drummer in tow.

Charles Barkley: The would-be governor of Alabama says all the right things about fixing families in the urban community. A onetime Republican ("until they went crazy"), Sir Charles has talking points that are all his own.

Alycia Lane: See entry for Sister Mary Scullion for explanation.

Pat Croce: You see Captain Pat everywhere, but do you have any idea what his politics are? First and foremost, Croce is a Philly guy - tough and outspoken, but a guy who clearly cares about Philadelphia. Anybody who watched the Sixers climb out of the cellar on Croce's watch - and took note of how they embodied Philly in doing so - knows he can handle his business in a way that makes his city proud.

Judge Seamus McCaffrey: McCaffrey is a Democrat, as well as a military veteran and a longtime police officer. The guy knows what happens on Pennsylvania's worst streets and how to deal with it. And that appeals to more than just the Dems: Last week, he won more votes than any other statewide judicial candidate. It takes more than Democratic supporters to do that.

Larry Platt: The editor of Philadelphia magazine has exceeded everyone's over/under for keeping that job, and is said to be mulling a run for Congress. Some chuckled when he endorsed Michael Nutter for mayor, but the civic side of the magazine is in evidence. Platt is said to be socially liberal but fiscally conservative, and a hawk on terror. Most important, he's got a good-shaped noggin.

Michael Smerconish's column appears Thursdays in the Daily News and on Sundays in Currents. Michael can be heard from 5:30 to 9 a.m. weekdays on "The Big Talker," WPHT-AM (1210). Contact him via the Web at http://www.mastalk.com.