if Mickey Kaus was the face of the Democrat party.

A Harvard-trained lawyer who rejected a legal career in favor of journalism—he toiled for The Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and Newsweek before starting his blog in 1999—Kaus has serious policy chops as a neoliberal thinker. His 1995 book, The End of Equality, is still regarded as a persuasive treatise on transforming American society, fractured by class divisions and greed, through such government programs as national service and moving poor people from welfare to work. In 1996, Kaus plotted behind the scenes with Republican and Democratic supporters of the welfare-reform legislation that President Clinton eventually signed into law. He had briefly ventured into presidential politics in 1984, when he wrote speeches for South Carolina Senator Fritz Hollings, an also ran in the Democratic nomination race.

“At some point you think you should stop writing about why things should change and start actually changing it,” Kaus said by way of explaining his decision to run. “As an opinion journalist you are not that far removed from that anyway. Certainly the proudest moments of my life were working on welfare reform. I saw myself as an advocate and agitator and behind-the-scenes lobbyist on some very minor aspects of it. But I did my best.”

Kaus, the mind and keyboard behind the famous Kausfiles (a regular read for me...) just can help being rational. Even when I disagree with him, his arguments are nevertheless solid and due respect.

Does he have a chance in a party dominated by mercenary constituencies along for the ride for the rapine, loot and pillage?

Probably not, but we can always dream.

The Kausfiles.