Are any of the major Presidential candidates really LEFT-wing?

[Lord Byron]

I'm currently reading this book called The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America.

Here is a passage that just struck me:

"Indeed the more you look at the Democrats who sought the presidency in 2004, the less left-wing they seem. Dean's remark that he was more of an Eisenhower Republican than a red-blooded liberal might have been made by any of the leading candidates. None of them proposed any dramatic extension of government; most of them pushed positions firmly to the right of Michael Dukakis, let alone George McGovern. Edwards, another multimillionaire, got most of his financial support from his fellow trial lawyers-and stressed his appeal to white Southerners. Lieberman was even further to the Right-a religious moralist who condemned Bill Clinton's adultery, supported the Iraq war, and for a while even made friendly noises about education vouchers. Clark had been a Republican before morphing into a left-wing Democrat in the frosts of New Hampshire. He boasted about voting for Reagan and as recently as 2002, gave a speech praising Bush and encouraging people to back the GOP. (It is hard to imagine any left-of-center party in Europe turning to the army for its leader). Even the last great hope of American liberalism for 2008, Hillary Clinton, seems to have begun a voyage back to the center, decking herself in hawk's plumage."

The authors, I believe, write for the Economist, a Blairist magazine. Do they have a point? I think so. I think I'll vote for Kucinich but I'm largely undecided. I came across this passage just now and felt like sharing it. What do you guys think?

EDIT: Oh I found another quote I liked: "These days, American politics is a sport played between the center Right against the Right. From an international perspective, Democrats are now LINOs-Liberals in Name Only. Compared to even Tony Blair's Labour Party today, the Democratic agenda is still downright conservative."

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I'm a fan of Kucinich and Gore, then Edwards, out of the

names that seem to be getting tossed out there so far.

[SaveElmer]

2. There has never been a truly left-wing person elected President...

Those that have been nominated have gone down in flaming defeat!

[ProudDad]

4. Jefferson and Madison

were pretty close...

[Lord Byron]

5. Lyndon Baines Johnson, FDR

[SaveElmer]

7. Neither ran as a leftist...

FDR's platform in 1932 was nearly indistinguishable from Hoover's...and FDR was constantly challenged from the left...

LBJ was no leftist either...if you think he was, listen to his Presidential recordings...

[ProudDad]

3. Kucinich is the only one I know of

Although many have co-opted pieces of the "left wing" agenda, mostly in the social arena.

All but Kucinich and Sharpton (if he declares) are economic capitalist, facists...

[David Dunham]

6. A real left-wing Dem probably couldn't win the nomination

Most Dem primary voters are NOT very left wing. They are pretty moderate, middle class voters -- in other words, typical Americans. Most Dems are not very left. Howard Dean certainly isn't far left.

[illinoisprogressive]

8. Politics like society is always evolving and morphing.

[Lord Byron]

9. But it's not just that they don't talk the left-talk

It's also that most of the candidates have such a wishy-washy platform. In the book it tells us that once upon a time, "conservative" was a dirty word in America. Nixon, Prescott Bush, Hoover all called themselves liberals. The hard right took control of the Republican party (they used to be only a fringe element), and now we live in a hard-right country. But why isn't the left trying to organize itself similarly? why are we allowing ourselves to be pushed in that direction? Why can't we be bold like the GOP was with Goldwater and Reagan. Their supporters transformed America. Can't we push back?

[BayCityProgressive]

10. McGovern

wasn't really a leftist either. His gauranteed income speil was really just the "Earned Income Tax Credit" Which moderates and conservatives later supported. Milton Friedman supports a minimum income for all Americans to cut beaurocracy.He also recently went after unions for trying to unionize WalMart and slammed union members that worked for Delphi. Hardly a flaming leftist.

[liberalpragmatist]

11. Milton Friedman is dead

As of a couple months ago.

[BayCityProgressive]

12. okay

well he thought it was a good idea LOL.