Nobody **really** thinks Obama's a flaming liberal, do t hey?

[Stinky The Clown]

Really now ...... who thinks that?

He's a centrist.

Maybe left of center because of his social views ...... but no lefty.

[YOY]

1. FReepers do.

They still think he's going to force Marxism down their throats and take away their boomsticks.

Then again they're a bunch of...oh what was the word I was thinking of???

Wonder how Marxism works from the view in Mom's basement ...

[Fireweed247]

8. Idiots believe this thanks to Rush Limbaugh

but he also says that Nancy Pelosi is an ultra liberal.

Real liberals never get anything we want because we have these phony leaders yet we still get bashed all the same.

[YOY]

26. Rush makes 20+ million a year telling idiots their opinion.

Any of them that think he does so out of the goodness of his heart or at a great (but reasonable) professional wage are not seeing this.

[ProfessorGAC]

16. Yeah, But They Think Olympia Snowe Is A Flaming Liberal

And she's a republican! I'm not sure those people are really humans. I think they're chimpanzees trained to type.
The Professor

[Captain Hilts]

2. People here said he was more progressive than Russ Feingold!

the truth of the matter is he - and Hillary - had identical voting records and were/are both centrists.

People projected onto him a degree of progressivism that his record just doesn't show.

[amdezurik]

3. which was why the primary was so confusing

when it finally came down to between Clinton and Obama, both centrists, both "triangualtors" (Personally that is not a pergoritive to me), both with a lot of the same agenda. yet "supporters" for each side made falming personal attacks on people who supported someone who happened to have a defferent set of genitals yet the same basic ideals. Dkos sucks because of that as much as PUMA did/does.

[cali]

15. actually, there's little evidence that Obama is a triangulator

and the fact is that Obama and Clinton are very different people= and temperment is not an insignificant factor. The differences between them can hardly be attributed to their different genitals.

[amdezurik]

21. has he looked for other ways to accomplish goals?

then he is a triangulator. that is all it means, it is not some evil thing after all.

[cali]

22. lol you haven't given a definition of triangulation.

[endarkenment]

4. I thought we might be allowed a seat at the table.

I guess not.

[polichick]

5. He's a pragmatic progressive imo.

[Oregone]

12. Isn't that another way to say centrist?

[polichick]

19. No. He has a liberal/progressive agenda but intends to carry it out...

...in a very pragmatic manner ~ basically giving himself plenty of cover (by choosing experienced centrists) and moving the entire country left without using the labels that scare people. It's a stealth approach to spreading true blue liberal values imo.

[Oregone]

23. We will see. If none of this double-secret, stealthy progressivenism gets done, hell be a centrist

To each their own.

[polichick]

29. If he turns out to be a centrist, I'll be bummed. :(

[harun]

31. He won't be, no way. Hang in there and wait and see.

We will not have to be bummed ;-).

[Oregone]

35. You wont find me incredibly surprized

American politicians aren't exactly the most left-leaning, courageous bunch these days. For the most part, they have forgot what the center really is. Truman and FDR would probably be sent packing, written off as dirty socialists by the DLC.

[onehandle]

6. Some people won't be happy until an ultra-lefty is on the throne.

Have a nice wait.

Meanwhile, as I've been saying for months, Obama will be more of a Clinton than a Kucinich. Except he will be more successful on social topics because he will have a strong Congress to back him up.

[bigtree]

9. that's not really the only choice, you know . . . between Gates and an 'ultra-lefty'

The attitude right now is that the Left is some sort of unreasonable bunch while the centrists and moderates are 'competent' and responsible. I think that's just bull which has been furthered by the attitude and expression of the Obama transition.

[Posteritatis]

7. A slightly smoking liberal, possibly

I'm quite happy with that much, especially in comparison to the cryopresidency we're nearing the end of.

[FrenchieCat]

10. He's been called everything under the sun......

He's been called a communist, a socialist, a liberal, a center left, a centrist, a center right, and a conservative.

In the meantime, I see his record of organizing the poor, practicing Civil Rights law, getting the vote out to elect Braun back in the 90s, teaching constitutional law as a scholar, and clearly being against the Iraq war from the beginning.

What I can also say is that he is the first Democratic President in 8 years.....and one who won with the largest victory margin in a really long time. And so it is with that that I have great hopes that he will take this country to a much better place.

So as far as I can tell, he'll be a great American President, and take us light speed ahead of where we currently are.

I'm one of those optimistic individual who relies on one's past to access their possible future direction.

He is certainly wicked smart and that's change that I can already believe in.

[liberalmuse]

11. Oh noes!!! The wingnuts and the MSM seem to think Obama duped us leftys.

And are enjoying creating this whole 'angry left' meme, not realizing that most of us pretty much knew where PE Obama stood on the issues before we voted for him. It's really all they've got.

[Mari333]

13. if his admin ignores the huge antiwar progressive dems

who worked their arses off to put him in office, he will lose in 4 yrs. i would rather vote 3rd party then vote republican lite. at least i could live with myself.
in the meantime, we shall wait and see.

[kestrel91316]

14. Yep, slightly left of center. Probably slightly left of Clinton.

But a flaming liberal like ME??? Not a chance. Kucinich is that sort of liberal.

[iamthebandfanman]

17. i knew that when i voted for him

but look at the choices we had and youll know why i did ;)

[Lex]

18. But . . . but . . . Rush told me he has the most lib'rul record in the Senate!

You mean that's not true? :cry:

[Kelvin Mace]

20. he is center-right on many issues

just like the Clintons. He is willing to sacrifice principle on the altar of "pragmatism".

[MineralMan]

24. I think I'll wait a year or so, and then assess

the administration. It's way, way to early to figure out where he'll go.

Since we seem to elect centrists to the Presidency most of the time, I imagine he'll be somewhere near the center in what gets accomplished.

Certainly, we won't get single-payer health care in a month, or a total pullout from Afghanistan/Iraq in six months, or national gay marriage recognition, either. Those things were never in the cards.

Time will tell the story. Right now, we're all just guessing when it comes to details.

And there is that ugly financial mess to deal with, right up front. Until that's on its way back upward, don't expect big moves.

[fla nocount]

25. Nobody voting to the right of Robt. Byrd is a liberal. n/t

[madrchsod]

27. if he wants to get things done

then he`s going to pull the country left of center. how far he goes to the left is up to the american people.



remember the house elections start in about a year and a half.

[Warpy]

28. Nobody thought FDR was, either

but he did enough of the right things to save the country after too many years of callous bungling by the GOP.

I'm giving the guy a chance. Yes, I'd prefer a flaming socialist with a socialist Congress, but that's just not going to happen.

At the very least, Obama probably won't make things worse. We know the GOP would have. They've done it many times before.

[Stinky The Clown]

34. I actually think that, byu the end of his first term, he will be pulled left.

Kinda like FDR. Circumstances will demand that.

I think the BIG thing will be some form of universal health care with the burden assumed by the government. It is really the best way to give business a huge boost. That will turn out to be the very best *pragmatic* solution and as a by product will make him a liberal.

[harun]

30. Compared to the rest of party his is a Liberal in my opinion and why I voted for him.

I am not surprised by his actions but I am surprised at the never ending stream of people who feel they need to make posts like this saying "he is a centrist, suck it".

I say he is a Liberal who is doing what he needs to do to get Liberal policies implemented. If he made enemies (DLC, Blue Dogs, etc.) right out of the gate he would spend 4 years fighting them instead of getting anything accomplished.

[Stinky The Clown]

32. Unflare your nostrils ......

.... and stop projecting.

Where's the "suck it" part? I see the "he's a centrist" ...... but nothing about sucking.

[harun]

36. If you think I mis-interpreted your intentions why don't you clear things

up by actually saying what they were?

[Stinky The Clown]

37. How dense are you?

The OP was perfectly clear and quite short so as to accommodate any attention span.

[devilgrrl]

33. But but but I thought he was a SOCIALIST!!!!!! That's what the rightards keep saying...

it must be so! :sarcasm:

[trayfoot]

38. Too many people swallowed the crap spewed by the right.

Obama is change - HUGE change from the last 8 years. I still trust his judgment, and unless/until there is a reason to stop, I will continue.

[Stinky The Clown]

39. I trust his judgement, too.

I just don't think he's a flaming liberal.

For many, that would seem a condemnation. That is not, however, how it is intended here. The intent here is simply by way of making an observation.

On Jan 20, 2008, I will be on The National Mall, cheering at the top of my lungs. I will be one of the millions who will be present for the making of history. And I will be **very** happy to see Barack Obama become our 45 president.

[Wapsie B]

40. I was home for Thanksgiving last week.

All some of them could talk about was their fear that Communism would take over this country. So not only do the righties believe Obama's a flaming lib, they truly believe he's a commie.