Why am I here?

I'm a card-carrying liberal. I will vote for Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States when Massachusetts voters go to the polls on February 6. I think the best president of the 20th century was Franklin Roosevelt. I opposed going to war in Iraq.

So, what the heck am I doing on a blog that features two staunch conservatives?

The idea is not to change the political perspective of Mr. Phillips, Ms. Kavitsky, or their conservative readers; I realize that would be an exercise in futility. The idea is to present my point-of-view to people who otherwise are not presented with the liberal perspective. I feel strongly today that one reason for the current polarization in our country is a lack of understanding. The liberal ideology is twisted and misrepresented by conservative leaders such as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Ann Coulter.

By getting the liberal perspective directly from a liberal, I believe that while Mr. Phillips, Ms. Kavitsky, and all their readers may find that liberals aren't necessarily nuts. While they may disagree with my political approach toward a problem, they will understand that I wish to make this country a better place. And that, I think we can all agree, is a worthy objective.