Nov 29 2008
The Accidental Centrist?
Is Barack Obama a stealth centrist? Did he just dupe the far left into electing him as the progressive agent of change only to walk out of the centrist closet and dash their hopes of a liberal/progressive age of America? According to a lot of discussions the Democrats elected a surprise centrist to the White House – or at least that is the theory. Here are some interesting perspectives on the President-elect Obama, the accidental centrist:
If true, the honeymoon for Obama will be very short lived as his base turns on him for his false prophecy and promises.
A liberal friend is not happy about Hillary or Gates, but says a least Obama doesn’t lie to us like Bush. Go figure!
Don’t be fooled. Obama has an agenda and is biding his time. He is not the president yet. These people will provide a cover for him and lull our fears. He has not been brought up and associated with radicals for nothing. This is the only life he knows. He has said he will do all sorts of radical changes to the government and he will when he feels safe enough. Be wary of politicians who change their stances for convenience and in order to be electable. I don’t trust him at all. It is amazing to me that the stoutest opposition can take their eye off the ball and be taken in by charlatans. That is the republicans’ biggest flaw. They are willing to think the best of their enemies which, of course, their enemies take full advantage of.
I don’t think that there is any evidence at all to assume that he is a centrist. No question that everything he has said and his track record makes him a left of left liberal. What has happened is that reality has just taken a chunk out of his backside.
Reality has told him that he cannot get his Chicago “gang” through the Senate Confirmation process and there are few pickings that actually can get confirmed. I think judgment should be made after the mid level appointments…see who gets appointed there.
I expect some hard left actions such as an aggressive cap and trade policy, some huge “stimulus” package that includes a Big Three bailout, reduction in defense spending and billions in alternative energy subsidies. In addition I expect probably some 90 to 100 executive orders in the first couple of months.
we shall see.
The Guy is not even in yet and were a hopin and a prayin.
when we should be a preparin..
THis guy has an ego the size of Mount Olympus.
Remember the finger he gave people, and you think he is a centrist.
AJ, you have to be more of a realist not just hopin on the good in Human nature.
Cowards abound now a days and you are quoting a few.
Tibetan fighting philosophy, stolen by the samurai of Japan teaches us.
No extreme is any good unless pure logic brings you there.
So therefore some extemes are good when logic rules.
Stop hoping and prepare for the worst. Hope for the best but don’t count on it.
“If true, the honeymoon for Obama will be very short lived as his base turns on him for his false prophecy and promises.”
I wonder. So many Lefties who I thought would be outraged by Obama’s move to the Center are just yawning about it or excusing it, that I I begin to think that the only thing they cared about was having a D after the name.
Off subject, but ROLL TIDE ROLL! Our troops got to watch the Iron bowl-Senator Sessions requested it from the DOD and was granted the request.
Terrorists, eat your hearts out.
And yes, I think the d’s only want a d in the White House.
George W. is going to be vindicated big time, imho.
AJ,
Obama doesn’t look like a “centrist” to me. Gates just gives him immunity in case things turn sour in the ME.
Look at:
Rahm Emanuel
obert Malley- ME negotiator
Tom Daschle
Eric Holder
Valerie Jarrett
David Axelrod
Phil Schiliro (former chief of staff for Henry Waxman)
These are the face of the left .
Phineas is partly right. A Democrat in the White House combined with bigger majorities in congress. The “base” of young voters who ran up the delegate counts in caucus states just wanted someone whose name wasn’t Clinton or Bush, plus end the war, and someone smart. Hillary whupped him after it was too late – Obama never lost the his delegate lead from caucus states in February. yada yada.
Pay closer attention to Congress. Waxman ousts Dingell. What does Waxman like to do? Write legislation. Who is his base? He runs unopposed from Beverly Hills. (Waxman+ Boxer) + an ok from the White House = you fill in the blanks on climate change.
Just do not get too lulled by reports of Obama’s millions of supporters. The truth was maybe tens of thousands. They’ve gone silent in waves since Rev Wright and especially after he opted out of public financing.
For all of his leftist associates, one should note that his closest associates since being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004 have been Daschle, Lugar, Sam Nunn, and, more recently Hagel and Buffett.
He’s a risk-averse POLITICIAN who stopped the Clintons and played the media. The financial crisis caused a panic after 9/15/08. I am not into conspiracy theories, but would really like to know more about Tim Geithner’s decisions that led to Lehman Brothers bankruptcy on Sept. 15. The President of the NY Fed has supervisory responsibility for financial institutions in NY region. What a list: Bear Stearns, AIG, Lehman Brothers, Citigroup. Geithner didn’t notice the problems building since he got that job (courtesy Paul Volcker) in 2003?????
Remember when Schumer said IndyMac was on the brink, and then it was?
Politics is always about power. There are 81 Democrats in the House who are moderate to conservative. They just want to be with the majority.
I have to admit, I have been very puzzled and surprised by some of Obama’s Administration picks so far. From what I have been reading…..his economic team is pretty good (not a socialist among them).
However, I have great concerns over where our support (or, should I say lack of support) for Israel may go.
It’s hard to read Obama. There is still quite a lot of the Chicago poltical support system around him. Time will tell. He hasn’t actually started making Presidential policy yet. So far, though, I don’t feel anywhere near as bad as I thought I would with Obama’s victory—and, I do want him to be successful (no Obama Derangement Syndrome from me). I don’t trust him in my gut; but, I will give him a fair shake until proven otherwise.
Melanie Phillips has a different take from AJ:
http://www.spectator.co.uk/melaniephillips/3039656/carpe-diem-or-can-we-all-relax-now.thtml
And, radical anti Israel Samantha Power is back as an advisor after being previously thrown under the bus by Obama:
http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com/2008/11/obama-rehires-adviser-who-called-for.html
Sadly I think that BarbaraS is right. I would like to think that the gravity of his accomplishment might sink in and remind him that he is now the standard against which all future black Presidential or Vice-Presidential candidates will be measured.
But Barack Obama has spent too much time in his formative years under the training of hard-core Leftists and though he has thrown others under the bus for political expediency, I suspect the “Red Roots” are too deep.
I guess we are trying to find some “hope” (bad word to use in this context) in the situation, by thinking that he now has gained a desire to establish a legacy and will drift towards the center. Or maybe until he gets rid of talk radio, one way or another.
To sum up BarbaraS’ last three sentences, I guess we are too damned nice for our own good. We are trying to maintain a level of decorum, for we know the “other side” won’t.
I guess on some level, we need to get ready in case we lose talk radio (and perhaps some portion of the internet as forums for free speech), by archiving past statements, etc. of Obama (and company) for comparison with his actions.
If we are wrong, we will only look silly. If we are right,…
Of course he’s a centrist! And Bill Clinton was a fiscal conservative. And John Kerry was a war hero. And Henry Waxman is actually the BEST looking congressman, not the worst. And when Husseins highly subsidized “citizen army” begins breaking down doors to confiscate handguns, we’ll discover that all centrists practice that sort of community service.
The reason many of you are “surprised” by Obama’s picks is that you never bothered to research his past, or read his agenda (which was ALL OVER his website), or listen to what he said. Instead, you believed what you were told by Rush, Hannity, and the rest of those blowhards.
And guess what? They were lying. That’s what they do.
I would also posit that, for many of you, the concept of “centrist” or “center left” is seriously skewed. If Obama is “left of left”, than what is Dennis Kucinich?
Actually, let’s go a different route – who would be your definition of a true “center left” politician?
Guy,
Kucinich? just to the right of Obama.
Tell us how you know that Rush and Hannity lie. Do you listen to them regularly? Center left? Hillary.
I haven’t been surprised by any of Obama’s picks. I knew he would be unreliable and so far, unreliable.
We all know his past, raised by a socialist mother and grandmother, mentored by a communist, supported by Ayers, Mansoori, Wildes, Rezko. Fine upstanding citizens all, eh?
We know his agenda. Socialism. We know all his goals changed regularly, depending on which way the wind was blowing at the time. We all know he ‘fixed’ the caucus’s .
You need to open your eyes.
Bill Ayers, Saul Alinsky, Frank Davis, Jeremiah Wright, Fleger, his wife….on and on. These are hard core Leftists with which obama has associated. His mentors were leftists. Not center, not right, l.e.f.t. Fact.
Spin it all you want. I look at the documents. I watch the videos and DECIDE FOR MYSELF.
David Horowitz, a former leftist himself, knows many in the obama camp. We will make the best of this but we will not be lulled into a false sense of security.
Whatever he is, he isn’t the President-elect.
Here’s a good tutorial on the issues surrounding Obama’s
ineligibility to be President:
http://americamustknow.com/forthedoubtful.aspx
Other news, Today is the deadline for the Obama clan to
file a response in the Supreme Court for Berg’s application
for a writ of certorari.
The Donofrio case, also lodged at the Supreme court (and
asks the Court to rule him ineligible b ecause of dual citizenship)
is due for a conference between the Justices on Dec, 5th.
We The People are running their full page ad in the Chicago
Tribune calling on the Obamas to release the vault copy of his
original birth certificate. Their ad runs today.
A California lawyer has adopted my suggestion! that if Obama
takes the office and begins to pass laws or issues Presidential
directives that have financial consequences for corporations,
lawsuits will be filed every time claiming damages (by the
laws which are not legal as Obama isn’t the President). Good move,
gets around the “standing” issue. The Democrats thinking
they can tough this one out is stupid. They can’t.