I've been called both a wingnut and a leftist on this board..so I guess I'm in the middle. Pro single-payer healthcare and gay rights...anti estate-tax and pro-life - I don't fit with any party really.
Obama was certainly not a centrist, he was a liberal ideologue, and he proved it with those he put on the SCOTUS. Both Kagan and Sotomayor are left of Ginsberg who was the most liberal justice before Obama took office who was appointed by Clinton. So by that measure alone it is pretty clear that Obama is left of Clinton....and on top of that Clinton was certainly more willing to work with Republicans than Obama ever proved to be. In fact, Bill Clinton might be some people on this board's idea of a moderate conservative.
I would argue that I don't "hate" Obama, I just have a rational opinion of his time as president that isn't appreciated by those who are down on their knees sucking him off all the time. That said, I do think that to many on this board, you'd have to be one of those people down on your knees blowing the president to be considered a "centrist" or a "moderate" which is why their opinion of the location of the center is skewed so far to the left.
In that sense, there are almost zero moderate conservatives on this board, and a disappointingly small number of liberal moderates. It just so happens that the majority of people who have this internal mechanism of self-doubt and critical thinking tend to fall into the middle 50% of the American political spectrum. I guess you could call their beliefs and opinions... moderated Thread reminds me of this: New Breeding Program Aimed At Keeping Moderate Republicans From Going Extinct
Notice how Bobby will not attempt to provide any nuance on actual policy positions of Obama to defend his 'rational' assertion that Obama was a far left radical. Far left radicals hate Obama btw.
I have seen a LOT of Bobby's posts but I can't ever remember a post where he showed hatred towards Obama. Contempt? Yes. Frustration? Perhaps. Dismissive? Certainly. But "hate" is a very overused word here in the D&D.
Exactly. I don't hate him at all, I just see things very differently than he does and I don't think that he was a very good president in that there aren't many legitimate accomplishments that made the country better.....and IMO too many areas where he led the country in the wrong direction. Of course, to some strong disagreement is the same as "hate" especially when it comes to Obama. There is an assumption made far too often that anyone who disagrees with him does so for racist or otherwise hateful reasons....it's why so many conversations stall when discussing the president, no differing opinions are allowed.
It's interesting. I recall some real arguments between us, back in the day. I've moved maybe a tad to the right (but not today's right), firmly into moderate left or left moderate. Meanwhile, I don't think you've moved your moderate right views that much. It's just that the vocal right has moved so far away from the center that, just like you say, a lot of them consider you a "liberal" now. Strange times! Weslinder used to be a fairly reasonable right wing poster, I thought. At least he could express a sense of humor. I also used to think HayesStreet was on the right, but in the "redistricting" of the conservatives now, he looks liberal when he rarely posts now.
I am a "moderate" conservative that has voted republican in just about every election. With how far right people have gotten though, it would be hard to tell and I am often labeled a liberal---which is hilarious to the point I don't bother shooting it down.
Yeah I've had lengthy debates with most of the liberals in here but have always tried to stay respectful and reasonable. I've never had a problem getting along with most like you and major and even mcmark who most consider super liberal lol. Only liberal I really clashed with was Sam. I've even been wrong! This forum is 100% responsible for me taking a harder look at climate change, something I used to mock. I learned I was wrong and had essentially operated in an echo chamber in that issue. You are right about weslinder as wel. Wonder what he's up to. Wasn't he the original BBS libertarian?
