Chris Coons pretends to run right

The Delaware Senate election isn't just about Cristine O'Donnell.  There's an extremist in the race, and it's not her.  But you wouldn't know it from the campaign sound-bites.  The mainstream media are doing their best to focus on some silly statements from O'Donnell, in order to avoid shining any light on the Democrat in the race.  Delaware Marxist Democrat moderate(?) Chris Coons is doing his bit to misinform as well.  He's running to the right believe it or not. From Fox News;

I'm no one's pet, and I intend to be an independent voice in the U.S. Senate," Delaware's Democratic Senate candidate, Chris Coons, declared emphatically on MSNBC Wednesday, referencing a recent utterance from the gaffe-prone Majority Leader Harry Reid who called the New Castle County executive "my pet." "That was a very unfortunate choice of words by Senator Reid," Coons told "The Daily Rundown's" Chuck Todd.

Coons cited two specific examples where he disagrees with the White House, saying he opposes the president's offshore drilling proposal and added, "I strongly disagree with how the banking bailouts were handled. I think the TARP bill, the Troubled Asset Relief Program, was passed in a hurry without any accountability and hasn't been administered properly."

The Democrat also would not rule out bucking his party on whether or not to extend all of the Bush tax cuts, though he clearly prefers a middle-class-only approach favored by the president.

But here's some quotes of Coons from the past;

And more, from OnTheIssues.org;

• Buildup of carbon dioxide is unsustainable. (Jul 2010)
• Oil drilling poses an environmental risk. (Jul 2010)
• Link fair trade with national security. (Jul 2010)*
• Longstanding need to fix health care system. (Jul 2010)
• Link security with development and human rights. (Jul 2010)

Interestingly they rate him as a moderate. Gotta love those .org sites.

*Do you know what Fair Trade is? From Wikipedia,

"Fair trade is a financial relationship between producers, sellers, and consumers based on the principle of equity within the exchange of goods. Equity is achieved via creating a platform for trade that is transparent and therefore accountable for the just treatment of all producers. This includes providing market avenues that allow marginalized producers the opportunity to sell, ensuring humane working conditions, and all the while protecting environmental and cultural factors that play into the production process. There are nine main principles by which all fair trade abides: create opportunities for marginalized producers, develop transparent relationships, build capacity, promote fair trade, pay promptly and fairly, support empowering working conditions, ensure children’s rights, cultivate environmental stewardship, and respect cultural identity.

...The Adam Smith Institute sees "fair trade" as a type of subsidy or marketing ploy that impedes growth. "

I'd just add that fair trade certification's emphasis on agricultural cooperatives (co-ops) discriminates against farmers who are understandably skeptical of joining into a co-op. Pushing people into co-ops is something a Marxist might do as an intermediate step.