Obama is a Neodem and so am I

Daily Kos had a really good post yesterday about the heartburn the Obama's speech gives the GOP. Their answer?

It was a conservative speech.

Kos references a post atThe Corner at the NRO, which seems to think it was a Republican speech and an Andrew Sullivan post, which he rightfully tears apart.

Kos rightfully rips Sullivan for ignoring Obama's liberal positions but seems to ignore the part of the Sullivan post that reads:

Conservative values, Democratic compassion. In the constant churn and dialectic of American politics, this is a new fusion - and the Dems have found a young, racially diverse, eloquent voice. Can you think of any current Republican with that kind of fresh appeal and smart politics? Only Arnold comes close. The Republicans would love to have someone of Obama's caliber - but they have failed to attract them. That is their tragedy, and it is only deepened in a party that gave rise to Trent Lott and Tom DeLAy. Obama is the Democrats' hope. Heck, he is the hope for all of us.

Obama struck exactly the same chord with me. I call myself a progressive conservative. I am a proud new Democrat. The new Democratic party for which I am working hard to bring victory in November, is a reflection of Bill Clinton who said, " They need the country divided. We don't." It's a reflection of Obama's "It is that fundamental belief, it is that fundamental belief, I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family."

The new Democratic Party is going to be built from the bottom up by every stripe of people, including me, working at the very bottom. It's going to be built by progressive conservatives - people who hold fast to the very conservative ideals of liberty, equality, religious freedom, combined with a market economy yet seek to create a compassionate, socially progressive, environmentally friendly, internationally savvy government that truly, truly has the best interests of its people at its heart. That's conservative. That's progressive. From where I am sitting, that's a new Democrat.