Obama - Left, Right, Center?

[stuck]

I think Obama is a center politician, so there's my slant. Have a nice day.

[Bartender]

I think Obama is a center politician, so there's my slant. Have a nice day.

That has nothing to do with the news. I don't agree with you on that but I see how you could come to that conculsion. The media portrays him often as not going far enough. However if you look at his polcies it clearly falls in the liberal realm. THe problem with american liberalism is it is more a postion advocating state sponsered welfare and general statism than classical liberalism.

The typical conservative point is not much better in my mind with the archaic support of church is schools and attempting to ban gay marriage.

[Dirac]

However if you look at his polcies it clearly falls in the liberal realm.

Doesn't seem like that when you look at it from a non-US POV. I guess it all depends how your scale is calibrated.

[stuck]

It has everything to do with the fact that the political establishment in the USA has drifted right in the past 40 years, putting the increasingly liberal culture into sharp relief.



http://voteview.com/blog/?p=284

Here's a high-quality left news source for you: http://www.counterpunch.org

[jigglypuff]

However if you look at his polcies it clearly falls in the liberal realm.

idk all his policies, but if you look at his handling of something like immigration & deportation he's like the most right-wing the US has ever had. i definitely do not see him as anything close to left.

[Bartender]

It has everything to do with the fact that the political establishment in the USA has drifted right in the past 40 years, putting the increasingly liberal culture into sharp relief.



http://voteview.com/blog/?p=284

Here's a high-quality left news source for you: http://www.counterpunch.org

I don't get the same view from your graph that you do then. To me it seems that the democrat politicians have generally stayed within the same range with only the republican candidates moving farther right. I don't see how this graph would show obama as a centrist he seems within the margin of error of the other democrats putting him solidly in the left. Is this graph only taking into social liberalism or economic liberalism as well?

Also thanks for the link to counter punch I just started reading a few articles and they make a lot of sense. I'll read them in the future.

Personally I am neither a conservative nor a liberal. I think polarizing youself on lines like that is simply stupidity. I think you need to examine every subject.

[Bartender]

idk all his policies, but if you look at his handling of something like immigration & deportation he's like the most right-wing the US has ever had. i definitely do not see him as anything close to left.

I'm not going to lie I know very little about his immigration/deportation policies. However I think it is pretty rash to call him the most right wing PONTUS we have had. I do know they are having a serious problem in the south with immigration thats about all. Where I live we are not effected by it so I have little intrest.

[stuck]

Is this graph only taking into social liberalism or economic liberalism as well?

I'm not totally clear on this point, but I gather that this chart reflects government intervention into economic policies, including income redistribution.

[stuck]

Well, I wouldn't have started this thread.

Is it really a digression so much from discussing media bias? Now it's my duty to bring this thread back around to that topic.

[msg_v2]

Obama was upfront about his policy positions during the campaign season, but a lot of people ignored that in favor of wishful thinking.

I don't agree with the meme that Obama deceived people. People deceived themselves, or didn't pay attention to being with.