Obama: A pragmatic moderate faces the 'socialist' smear

• ptown_trojans_1

  

  Rather interesting from a member of conservative AEI
  
  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/13/AR2010041303686.html
  
  Pretty much says if you look at everything and history, Obama is a typical liberal moderate and not some crazy socialist. A breath of fresh air I might add.
• fish82

  

  While I obviously don't buy into the "socialist" hysteria, and he's shown the ability to be pragmatic on occasion, he's no moderate. Not even close.
• Shane Falco

  If he's a moderate, I'm singing on Broadway Friday night
• QuakerOats

  "moderate" ----------------- completely laughable.
• ptown_trojans_1

  

  Care to refute the arguments instead of just laughing it off gentlemen?
• QuakerOats

  ptown_trojans_1 wrote: Care to refute the arguments instead of just laughing it off gentlemen?

  No; it is a complete waste of time ................ he is easily the most radically left person to ever occupy the white house. It is unconsionable that someone could try to portray him as a moderate.
• Bigdogg

  ptown_trojans_1 wrote: Care to refute the arguments instead of just laughing it off gentlemen?

  They won't because they can't. I suspect they will just dismiss it with the usual comments.
• cbus4life

  I think Wilson was the most "radical" President in American history.
  
  Has Obama backed and allowed to happen anything like the "Palmer Raids" yet?
  
  Granted, the targets of those raids were leftists and the like, but the fact remains that he was incredibly "radical" and constantly and consistently violated the civil liberties of American citizens.
  
  Obama doesn't hold a candle to Wilson and even other Presidents in regards to how "radical" he is.
• Shane Falco

  Why do I have to explain MY opinion? Why is my opinion wrong but the author of the articles opinion " a breath of fresh air"?
  
  I see what is going on and don't believe for a minute that it is "moderate"
  
  We do need some fresh air with all the stink coming from DC these days!
• Cleveland Buck

  

  Calling him a socialist has nothing to do with his foreign policy views. As far as his domestic views, the only two real things he has accomplished are a trillion dollar spending spree on nothing, and a health care bill that sets price controls and forces people to buy health insurance. He may not have done anything full blown socialist yet, but he certainly isn't a moderate.
• BCSbunk

  Bigdogg wrote:

  ptown_trojans_1 wrote: Care to refute the arguments instead of just laughing it off gentlemen?

  They won't because they can't. I suspect they will just dismiss it with the usual comments.

  It is called hand waving it is all they have.
• CenterBHSFan

  

  I'm a little confounded by the term "moderate liberal".
  

  Why do I have to explain MY opinion? Why is my opinion wrong but the author of the articles opinion " a breath of fresh air"?

  This raises a good point.
  
  As does this:
  

  Calling him a socialist has nothing to do with his foreign policy views.

• Writerbuckeye

  

  Cleveland Buck wrote: Calling him a socialist has nothing to do with his foreign policy views. As far as his domestic views, the only two real things he has accomplished are a trillion dollar spending spree on nothing, and a health care bill that sets price controls and forces people to buy health insurance. He may not have done anything full blown socialist yet, but he certainly isn't a moderate.

  For.The.Win.
• cbus4life

  I won't deny that he hasn't done some "radical" things, but i just don't think, taking everything into consideration, that he is the most radical we've ever had.
  
  I think FDR and Wilson take the cake, and others would be in the running as well.
• jordo212000

  

  Yeah I wouldn't call him a socialist, and those that do only hurt the cause (typically those who do are Conservative folk) but I most certainly wouldn't call him moderate either. He certainly didn't earn any "moderate points" from me during the health care stuff. I wish both sides would have been more involved instead of just forcing it through like they did.
• derek bomar

  

  Shane Falco wrote: Why do I have to explain MY opinion? Why is my opinion wrong but the author of the articles opinion " a breath of fresh air"?
  
  I see what is going on and don't believe for a minute that it is "moderate"
  
  We do need some fresh air with all the stink coming from DC these days!

  you don't have to explain your opinion, it just makes your opinion have less credibility if you can't explain it...but that's your choice
• ts1227

  

  Shane Falco wrote: Why do I have to explain MY opinion? Why is my opinion wrong but the author of the articles opinion " a breath of fresh air"?

  The article, whether the opinion is right or wrong, elaborates on the point.
  
  People here give "opinions" by stringing together as many partisan buzz words as they can into one sentence.
  
  One carries more weight because it indicates engaging in an actual process of independent thought. Whether the opinion is correct or not is irrelevant, at least they showed evidence of thinking it through. It's all about communication.
• ptown_trojans_1

  

  Moderate liberal=just left of center, which I think he is.
  Foreign policy is centralist, more HW Bush like.
  A breath of fresh in that it is a known conservative out of a conservative think tank saying Obama is a moderate liberal, not a crazy socialist.
• Shane Falco

  Moderates don't go around the world saying their country is the cause of all evils, moderates don't make campaign speeches in other countries while RUNNING for POTUS, moderates don't take over private auto company's, moderates don't take over 1/6th of a counties economy, moderates don't have pay czars, moderates don't have self proclamied Marxist as advisers, moderates don't associate on any level with people that attempt to blow up Gov. buildings that go on to say they wish they would have done more damage. Moderates don't go to racist chuches,
  
  Should I go on?
• cbus4life

  Shane Falco wrote: Moderates don't go around the world saying their country is the cause of all evils, moderates don't make campaign speeches in other countries while RUNNING for POTUS, moderates don't take over private auto company's, moderates don't take over 1/6th of a counties economy, moderates don't have pay czars, moderates don't have self proclamied Marxist as advisers, moderates don't associate on any level with people that attempt to blow up Gov. buildings that go on to say they wish they would have done more damage. Moderates don't go to racist chuches,
  
  Should I go on?

  When did he say this?
• Cleveland Buck

  

  I forgot he also finished the job Bush started and nationalized the auto industry (except Ford). That is something a socialist would do, not a moderate. Although, today's moderate is history's socialist, so maybe he is a moderate.
• fish82

  

  ptown_trojans_1 wrote: Care to refute the arguments instead of just laughing it off gentlemen?

  Because I'm right. As usual.
• Paladin

  Ornstein is a widely recognized economic conservative & the AEI is not mistaken for being Liberal. His comments carry heavy weight and his logic with facts make his case. Despite the hysteria promoted by the extreme Far Right, people are coming to recognize the lies of his political opponents and view him in a fairer manner. Chances are still very good he gets re-elected and more successes will keep the Ds favored by voters. Financial reform appears to have the Rs on the wrong side of the issues again.
• jhay78

  

  You are partly judged by the company you keep. Obama's past associations combined with the czars he's appointed makes him a RADICAL.
  
  Why is the term "socialist" so offensive to you people, but the policies and ideas of socialism are OK?
• derek bomar

  

  jhay78 wrote: You are partly judged by the company you keep. Obama's past associations combined with the czars he's appointed makes him a RADICAL.
  
  Why is the term "socialist" so offensive to you people, but the policies and ideas of socialism are OK?

  you do realize that past presidents have also had czars, don't you?