Swing Voter Desperately Seeking Non-Polarizing Presidential Candidate

Well, actually, I'm not really a swing voter, and I live in the District of Columbia, so it wouldn't matter even if I were.

But maybe I'm not wholly idiosyncratic either.

I want to see vigorous government action to alleviate the jobs crisis. And I believe that the economy grows strongest in the long term when private actors -- not government -- make investment decisions.

I have a new post-recession respect for the importance of a social safety net. And I want to see the budget balanced with tax rates that offer incentives for work and innovation.

I regard the US government as the protector of my freedom, not an enemy to freedom -- and I regard US businesses as providers of excellent products and services, not as rapacious exploiters of consumers and workers.

I'm furious at the irresponsible behavior of congressional Republicans in 2011. And I remember the high-handed behavior of the Obama White House in 2009.

The Romney-Ryan campaign envisions a future in which a few heroic entrepreneurs can grow extremely rich. President Obama's main idea for supporting the middle class is to increase the number of people who directly or indirectly work for the government.

I'd like to see health coverage for all Americans. I think Obamacare is a mess.

Mitt Romney is a competent, pragmatic technocrat who spent the past year insisting he will put himself on the wrong side of the wishes and values in the first half of the above paragraphs. On the stage last night in Charlotte, President Obama announced that he's positioning himself against the second half.

What the hell do I -- what does anybody out there who thinks like me -- do now?

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David Frum

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