Is Barack Obama a Tory?

[Yelnoc]

I thought this article in the Spectator might interest you guys.

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[Spanish Moss]

I've been saying this all along.  Which is why it's bewildering to me that some say he's "far left."

[Vosem]

I've been saying this all along.  Which is why it's bewildering to me that some say he's "far left."

The center is further to the right in America. In America, supporting UHC at all is considered left-wing. Is Obama far-left? No. But he's pretty clearly left by our standards.

[Franzl]

I've been saying this all along.  Which is why it's bewildering to me that some say he's "far left."

The center is further to the right in America. In America, supporting UHC at all is considered left-wing. Is Obama far-left? No. But he's pretty clearly left by our standards.

The fact that you're right speaks quite poorly of American society.

[Phony Moderate]

He's probably of the One Nation kind, i.e. Macmillan, Heath, etc.

[Donerail]

I've been saying this all along.  Which is why it's bewildering to me that some say he's "far left."

The center is further to the right in America. In America, supporting UHC at all is considered left-wing. Is Obama far-left? No. But he's pretty clearly left by our standards.

The fact that you're right speaks quite poorly of American society.

Are societies now judged by how much government intrusion into the economy is considered mainstream?

[Franzl]

I've been saying this all along.  Which is why it's bewildering to me that some say he's "far left."

The center is further to the right in America. In America, supporting UHC at all is considered left-wing. Is Obama far-left? No. But he's pretty clearly left by our standards.

The fact that you're right speaks quite poorly of American society.

Are societies now judged by how much government intrusion into the economy is considered mainstream?

Societies should certainly be judged by basic criteria such whether the poor have access to adequate healthcare, of course.

[Donerail]

I've been saying this all along.  Which is why it's bewildering to me that some say he's "far left."

The center is further to the right in America. In America, supporting UHC at all is considered left-wing. Is Obama far-left? No. But he's pretty clearly left by our standards.

The fact that you're right speaks quite poorly of American society.

Are societies now judged by how much government intrusion into the economy is considered mainstream?

Societies should certainly be judged by basic criteria such whether the poor have access to adequate healthcare, of course.

So the larger the state, the better the country? What a wonderful metric...

[Franzl]

I've been saying this all along.  Which is why it's bewildering to me that some say he's "far left."

The center is further to the right in America. In America, supporting UHC at all is considered left-wing. Is Obama far-left? No. But he's pretty clearly left by our standards.

The fact that you're right speaks quite poorly of American society.

Are societies now judged by how much government intrusion into the economy is considered mainstream?

Societies should certainly be judged by basic criteria such whether the poor have access to adequate healthcare, of course.

So the larger the state, the better the country? What a wonderful metric...

No, that's not what I said.

[Yelnoc]

I've been saying this all along.  Which is why it's bewildering to me that some say he's "far left."

The center is further to the right in America. In America, supporting UHC at all is considered left-wing. Is Obama far-left? No. But he's pretty clearly left by our standards.

The fact that you're right speaks quite poorly of American society.

Are societies now judged by how much government intrusion into the economy is considered mainstream?

Societies should certainly be judged by basic criteria such whether the poor have access to adequate healthcare, of course.

So the larger the state, the better the country? What a wonderful metric...

More and cheaper coverage does not mean more and larger government intervention.  Just look at the Bismark model.

[Beet]

Nothing much new here, but the health care bill was actually a negative for the insurance companies. It's only a good deal for them if you think that a more ambitious bill could have gotten through Congress, and it could not have. The insurance companies' stock prices took significant hits on the morning the SCOTUS decision upholding the bill was announced.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Yeah, basically. The "change" administration has focused on implementing the least politically, socially, economically disruptive policies possible.

[© tweed]

I've been saying this all along.  Which is why it's bewildering to me that some say he's "far left."

The center is further to the right in America. In America, supporting UHC at all is considered left-wing. Is Obama far-left? No. But he's pretty clearly left by our standards.

kind of a bizarre claim as a majority of the population in the US has favored some sort of a universal system for decades.  this is true even after the propaganda onslaught of the past 3 years.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Yeah, basically. The "change" administration has focused on implementing the least politically, socially, economically disruptive policies possible.

Nicely put.

[All Along The Watchtower]

I've been saying this all along.  Which is why it's bewildering to me that some say he's "far left."

The center is further to the right in America. In America, supporting UHC at all is considered left-wing. Is Obama far-left? No. But he's pretty clearly left by our standards.

No, the political class in America is further to the right, not the population as a whole. A lot of this has to do with the remarkable power of businesses/corporations in America, and their outsized influence on an already extremely conservative political and electoral system. Also, the higher you go in terms of economic and social status, the higher the participation rates and influence of the people in those upper strata.

When you factor into that essentially all of America's mainstream media is controlled under a very few conglomerates,  you have an aggressively reactionary political mainstream.

Like Tweed indicated,  a sizable majority of Americans like or want public schools, universal health care, "entitlement" programs, more federal spending on the poor, and less money in politics. But because the Democrats are, at best, a milquetoast center-right party, and with the Republicans getting more dogmatic and extreme....well, it's not much of a wonder why a good half of Americans don't bother to vote at all, and why many more vote, but don't care to actively participate.

[greenforest32]

Yeah, basically. The "change" administration has focused on implementing the least politically, socially, economically disruptive policies possible.

Nicely put.

It's pretty much the standard for the party today. I expect it to be similar for the next Democratic president (say Hillary or Cuomo winning the nomination/election in 2016).

[Spanish Moss]

Is Obama far-left? No. But he's pretty clearly left by our standards.

Right, which means our political spectrum of what is accepted in mainstream politicians is shifted far to the right of the mainstream of the first world.

[© tweed]

Is Obama far-left? No. But he's pretty clearly left by our standards.

Right, which means our political spectrum of what is accepted in mainstream politicians is shifted far to the right of the mainstream of the first world.

you're preaching to the strange choir -- Vosem has already proudly proclaimed this from the rooftops.

[ingemann]

I've been saying this all along.  Which is why it's bewildering to me that some say he's "far left."

The center is further to the right in America. In America, supporting UHC at all is considered left-wing. Is Obama far-left? No. But he's pretty clearly left by our standards.

Interesting argument so pretty left-wing in USA mean adopting UHC model made and pushed by conservatives (as in members of the Republican party) under 10 years ago? Pretty left-wing means continue conservative policies even when his base hates them? Pretty left-wing means to trying to cut and balancing the federal budget?

Obama anno 2012 would be fully at home in the Republican party anno 2000, well  even in 2007 his policies would be fully acceptable by most Republicans. So if he isn't centre-right it's because  the Republicans has changed from a conservative party to revolutionary extremists.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I've been saying this all along.  Which is why it's bewildering to me that some say he's "far left."

opebo's been saying it longer than that.....but he's not going to support Romney, regardless.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

I'm pretty sure if Barack was a Brit he would be one of those slippery Lib Dems who likes to make progressive noices while appearing on TV all the time (He would be a TV darling, of course) praising the "tough decisions" and "resolve" that Nick Clegg has so far shown and explaining how everything will be okay at the end in some indeterminable future.

[DC Al Fine]

I'm pretty sure if Barack was a Brit he would be one of those slippery Lib Dems who likes to make progressive noices while appearing on TV all the time (He would be a TV darling, of course) praising the "tough decisions" and "resolve" that Nick Clegg has so far shown and explaining how everything will be okay at the end in some indeterminable future.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

There is the center, the right and the far left.  Obama is the center which represents bailing out banks and auto unions and amnesty for illegals aliens and then u have the Mike Moore left which represent a disdain for that and then you have the right which agrees with Obama for bailouts but believe in Corporations hiring illegals and tax give aways to the rich. Clinton triangulation changed Democrats from left to center.

[Peter the Lefty]

He is either a New Labour-guy or a Tory.  Same thing, basically.