GhostWriter16
Deity
Obama is not centrist.
American Isolationism vs. Interventionism
- Thread starter Ronojoy1917
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Obama is not centrist.
Formaldehyde
Both Fair And Balanced
No, he is a conservative. He just isn't a reactionary authoritarian.
GhostWriter16
Deity
Please delete, double post.
GhostWriter16
Deity
That chart isn't gospel, and Obama is hardly conservative. He's a left-wing liberal.
That chart is biased towards liberal ideas.
That chart is biased towards liberal ideas.
Lord of Elves
Suede-Denim Secret Police
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It would be biased, if it weren't for the fact that on average American politics tends heavily to the right when compared with the politics of most other developed nations.
Formaldehyde
Both Fair And Balanced
That is what is so drastically wrong with American politics. The far-right is actually complaining vociferously about people who largely think and believe the same things as they do. Then they even try to label them as extremists...
It's the scores of their policy positions. I suppose their individual personal ideologies which they don't make public or put into action might differ or something, but the government economic consensus moved economically rightward during the 80s, in the US and elsewhere - the Overton window shifted. You're not going to see mainstream liberal politicians actively attempt to nationalize industries or impair free trade agreements. Even the fringe communist parties today simply took over the old social democrat positions. Policy-wise, Obama was similar to what Republicans proposed in the 90s in areas such as significant as healthcare.
Lord of Elves
Suede-Denim Secret Police
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Because you're only a conservative if you support YEC in schools, no abortion, and extremely low taxes
I'm not saying he is a republican in his acts, whatever that would mean, considering that parties and politicians can and do change policy prescriptions and shift leftward or rightward, I am saying that the basis behind the healthcare reform were ideas taken from the Republicans in the 90s. The individual mandate was developed by a group of conservative economists in the early 90s, and the conservative Heritage Foundation had an individual-mandate plan of its own. Cap and Trade was proposed by President George H.W. Bush as a solution which relied on the market instead of government regulation, and he did so in the 1990 Clean Air Act with sulfur-dioxide emissions. Either way though, it's an example of a rightward shift in the Democrats. Whether or not it is considered "moderate" is entirely irrelevant; I am merely giving examples as to why mainstram democrats today are on the right wing on a scale that goes from communist to capitalist when you look at their policies. This is especially true when you look at policy prescriptions from fifty years ago.
Communisto
Condottiere
Yeah, in your country.
That's the irony, not even in America is Obama "left-wing liberal" as Domination3000 so wrongly claims.
In his mind, Obama is a "left-wing liberal," but not in reality. Not even in American reality.
My points are pretty easily expanded to the mainstream left-of-center parties in other western countries; they generally agree to the international neoliberal consensus 
Formaldehyde
Both Fair And Balanced
Look at poor Dennis Kucinich. He is one of the few liberals in Washington, but he is considered to be the Spawn of Satan™ by even many Democrats.
Link to video.
Link to video.
Communisto
Condottiere
It's Dom3k's world, man. We all just live in it.
