Obama Tilts Toward Center, Irking Some Activists

[DeepModem Mom]

WSJ: Obama Tilts Toward Center, Irking Some Activists
Stances on Spy Bill And Corporate Tax Buck Liberal Base
By SUSAN DAVIS
June 24, 2008; Page A8

Barack Obama's support of an overhaul of domestic-spying laws last week was the latest in a string of statements suggesting the Democratic presidential candidate is tacking toward the center to compete with John McCain. On foreign policy, national security, tax issues and even local politics, Sen. Obama has made some decisions lately that belie his ranking by the nonpartisan National Journal as the U.S.'s "most liberal" senator.

During the primaries, he ran to the left of Sen. Hillary Clinton, securing the nomination in part by shoring up a base that included self-identified liberals and Internet activists who helped fill his campaign war chest. Some of those supporters are irked by Sen. Obama's latest moves, but the general-election season will put increased pressure on both candidates to attract moderate and independent voters. The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, conducted in early June, showed that 58% of voters perceive Sen. Obama as a liberal and 24% view him as a moderate. In contrast, 34% view Sen. McCain as a moderate and 48% see him as a conservative.

To be sure, the predominant view among party leaders is that a turn toward the center is smart politics, and that Sen. Obama's willingness to buck the left wing on issues such as the spy bill signals he is maneuvering to fight Sen. McCain directly for voters in the middle of the political spectrum....

The shift has met with some protest from the activist left. The liberal MoveOn.org, which endorsed Sen. Obama, is petitioning its members to call his campaign to object to his support of the spy bill. The group notes that he previously vowed to support a filibuster of the legislation because of immunity provisions for telephone companies that helped the government carry out its surveillance program....Similarly, Sen. Obama's decision to opt out of the public-financing system for the general election was a blow to leading liberal Democrats who have championed campaign-finance reform and public financing. "This is not a good decision," Sen. Russ Feingold (D., Wis.), said in a statement Thursday.

On taxes, Sen. Obama told The Wall Street Journal in a recent interview that he would consider cuts to the corporate tax rate as part of an effort to simplify the tax system, a position also advocated by Sen. McCain....

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121426892467498729.html

[Apollo11]

1. I can understand why he is doing it

even if I wish it wasn't necessary.

[napi21]

2. So do I! Hey folks, do ya want to WIN in November?

Unfortunately that's the ONLY way to do it!

[AndyTiedye]

10. Cause "Real People" LIKE Being Spied Upon?

:wtf:

[QueenOfCalifornia]

16. Bullshit

utter crap. The only way to win in November is to be a duplicitous ass and vote for something unconstitutional? He should tell them to stick their GOP piece of shit where the sun don't shine. I know many people who would RESPECT that.

[clevbot]

21. Get a spine...

[CountAllVotes]

3. he must play both sides of the tracks

that is how I see it myself.

Now is not the time to be viewed as an ultra-left wing liberal. No, not now.

[chimpymustgo]

13. How about standing up for what's RIGHT? Bullshit on getting elected based on what B*sh wants.

MOST Americans are against spying. This isn't about right and left - it's about right and WRONG. Grow a spine dammit, and LEAD.

[rodeodance]

7. It is NOT 'necessary' for him to vote yes on the FISA bill. He could LEAD in action

and fillibester the bill--or at a minimum say NAY.

[Apollo11]

35. You are probably right

I meant about reaching out to moderates in general, not the specifics of this particular issue.

[Skink]

4. I'd rather have a progressive House and Senate and a moderate President

than anything else. But that said I was convinced he was a moderate before the campaign. It wasn't until seeing him live that I realized how progressive he is. So what if on some issues he seems less than liberal. I think he is going to be tremendous president.

[TeamJordan23]

5. Progressive House and Senate...if the past 2 years are indication, we are not getting that.

The FISA caving in by many Dem leaders in the House and Senate is the latest example.

[Skink]

15. There is going to be a wave a Republican retirements

That is why we are in all 50 states. At this point we still have to deal with legislation offered by W.

[L0oniX]

6. I am reduced to voting for the lessor of two evils ...again. The hope of change is gone.

I will vote for the Dem ticket but I won't enjoy it now. My other deal is I am going to vote anti-Dem-incumbent. Time for some new faces in the Dem party.

[AndyTiedye]

9. That Hope (If It Ever Existed) Was Gone When Obama Brought in Donnie McClurkin

We are going to need a lot of these in November

[thewiseguy]

11. So now Obama is evil?

:puke:

[QueenOfCalifornia]

17. The fisa

bill is evil.

See?

It is a pass to illegal crap and to vote for it or endorse it is wrong.

[AndyTiedye]

8. The "Center" as Defined by the MSM = Whatever Bush** Wants

Must always move further and further to the right to try to pick up those "swing" voters,
you know, the ones who believe everything the TV tells them.

[Bread and Circus]

12. People like to call themselves "conservative" but they aren't really and they don't

support true conservative policy goals.

Name me one average "conservative" senior citizen that truly wants to do away with Medicare and Social Security.

Name me one average "conservative" woman that actually wants to do away with all forms of reproductive rights and freedoms.

Name me one average "conservative" working Joe that actually wants to go back to the labor standards of the 1890's.

People who call themselves "conservatives" generally don't know what the conservative movement is really about.

They just think such a label makes them look intelligent and well grounded.

I can say one thing the assholes have done a great job of making "liberal" a dirty word when it is the liberals throughout the ages that have pushed forward many of the amazing things we enjoy.

The opposite of liberalism is fascism, not conservatism.

blah...blah...blah...

Lakoff had it right when he talked about how important "framing" is to a political debate.

[TBF]

30. The Reagan generation made "conservative" cool -

they not only think they look "intelligent and well grounded" but they also pretend they are very well-off economically. I think what they are finding out this year, with housing and gas prices raising (which cause everything else to go up as well) that it's getting harder and harder to keep up the facade. I'm betting that when they get into the voting booth, and their neighbors aren't watching, they are going to vote democrat, labels be damned. They can't afford not to.

[Mz Pip]

14. I remember how Bush

pissed off the far right of his party by having a gay speaker at the convention. He had to run to the center to get elected. Afterwards, he and Cheney became their darlings. He rewarded their loyalty with 2 conservative judges.

Obama is a politician and he's trying to get into the White House to undo the last 8 years. Perceived liberals don't win the WHite House. Clinton was a centrist.

[riskpeace]

18. This strategy seems like what some have

called "The Third Way" and others might call "Clintonian."

Please stand up for my constitutional rights, Senator Obama.

[chimpymustgo]

19. WTF??!! Is this Change We Can Believe In?

Do the right thing, Senator Obama.

[Fluffdaddy]

20. God..........Don't you people know how the game is played?. Do you want to win?

Some Liberals are their own worst......oh never mind x(

[BigDaddy44]

32. I know...

Its like a bunch of 4 year olds throwing a temper tantrum.

Can we play CHESS please? And not checkers???

[Bill McBlueState]

22. "centrist"?

What is centrist about the government spying on citizens?

Does "centrist" mean anything at all?

[Zodiak]

23. It means giving Bush what he wants

...if you are a Democrat. Especially if you do it on just about every issue. Leiberman is a "centrist", Ben Nelson and Bill Nelson are "centrist", even though all three vote with Bush's policies 70-80% of the time or more.

I would argue that makes you a boot-licking rightwinger, but I do not get to define the terms. The corporate MSM get to.

[jillan]

24. Someone that I know that has been supporting Obama from the beginning

Will be pissed that he is not blocking fisa.

He still supports Obama 100%; let's just say that he is extremely disappointed.

[Zodiak]

25. And that will hurt the "ethusiasm" advantage that we enjoy now

Less volunteer support, less money from grassroots activists....it will hurt Obama.

To be honest, I think the DLC/Blue Dogs are doing this on purpose because it pisses them off that the grassroots are usurping their fundrasing monopoly. This way, they can discourage voters who would donate/volunteer, which increases the influence of the DLC and their corporate money within the party.

[jillan]

27. Maybe for awhile. But as the reality of Obama v McCain looms

closer to November, people will give their all to Obama.

The only thing I hope is that his fundraising ability won't be effected.

[GihrenZabi]

26. The problem is with how Obama ran

"We're going to change the way Washington works."

No, you're not - and nobody should be giving anyone on the Left guff for getting pissed-off with Obama.

It's one thing if you run on a traditional, Democratic platform in the primaries and then continue in that vein as a Presidential nominee; but that isn't what Obama did. He ran Left to energize the liberal party base as he knew he had the advantage among independents over Hillary and also to get the money from those rich Lefties, and now that he doesn't need them as exclusively he's running to the Center to get everyone else.

Basically it's a bait-and-switch. Completely? I don't think so - but this does stand in stark contrast to his promises of "Change."

He's changed nothing other than how he earned his money for the primary - now he's playing the classic Washington game. I haven't seen him conduct a public event to put some Muslims in traditional head garb on the stage with him to repudiate the staffers responsible for that gaffe. He's snuggling up to ethanol producers which is a cynically-political move, seeing as how the science is against ethanol being a responsible, or environmentally-friendly, alternative-energy choice. He's not standing up against this FISA bill when it's going to pass *anyway* so he's *perfectly* safe in making an ideological stand against it...

Obama can't run on a campaign of "change" and then behave like a typical politician. It's going to turn off independents like me who aren't part of the two-Party system because we hate the "typical" system and who voted for Obama in open primaries because we honestly believed in him.

I still will vote for him over McCain, but if he keeps acting like this I may just vote for the third-Party candidate like I did last time. My state (MA) is safely in Dem hands so I don't have to worry about throwing the state to McCain by making a vote of conscience...but I'd rather have a President I actually believed in and voted for than another four years of someone who doesn't represent me and my values.

The fact of the matter is, many of us on the Progressive Left were seeing Obama as a real opportunity to energize the American liberal movement, which has been dying since the 70's. If Obama turns out to just be a centrist, then the coffin continues to close and people like me are stuck with no one in our Federal government...again...

[jillan]

28. I guess I'm lucky.

I asked these questions about Obama from the beginning, and he was not my first, second or even third choice.

That said, I will work my tail off to get him elected in November... because a third party won't win and there could be nothing worse than a McCain administration.

[Marrah_G]

37. Sadly that is what happens when people build the pedastal to unrealistic heights.

Sometimes we forget that our politicians are politicians. We expect them to be noble creatures, fighting for the rights of all humanity, leaping tall buildings in a single bound.

The reality is they are politicians. They are focused on getting elected. They have to appeal to many differet groups. They often anger one group while getting cheers from another.

It is better to annoy the group you KNOW has your back then the one that is on the fence.

Am I disappointed, yes. Am I surprised, no.

Obama is still light years ahead of McCain.

[BuyingThyme]

29. Waging war on our Constitution is running to the center?

Fuck you all!

[dogday]

31. Kerry did the same thing in 2004.....

trying to reach to moderates... As a progressive, I just have to bite my tongue and go on down the road....

[Solon]

33. I don't remember Obama running to the left of Clinton during the primaries...

Indeed, on certain issues, he ran further to the right(Health Care). On damn near everything else, they both took Moderate positions on all the major issues. The fact that the American people can't perceive this is no surprise, the word liberal has been demonized for so long that most Americans would never associate themselves with the word, and don't even know its meaning anymore. Indeed, polls on issues show that most Americans are much further to the left on economic issues, and more moderate on social issues than Republicans or Democrats.

[Alexander]

34. Even Bush tacked to the center in 2000. And look how that turned out.

I have a hunch Obama's going to be much more liberal than he's letting on.

And I'm happy with that. :-)

I think people are very liberal when it comes to the issues. Most people favor legalized abortion, national health care, decriminalizing marijuana, and most people oppose the war and torture.

But when you say the word liberal, oh no, heavens no, they can't be one of those people. :eyes:

Liberal has been a dirty word since Dukakis's time. Hopefully some day we'll get a candidate who embraces the term (Howard Dean sort of did) but a lot of people are still uneasy with that word, so I understand Obama's move to the center.

They probably deliberately used the word "liberal" on the phone when doing this poll. And it caused the usual response.

[Marrah_G]

36. So people are beginning to realize he is a politician?

He is not the savior, not the messiah, not the next Ghandi, he is also not whatever you envisioned him to be on his blank screen.

He is a politician. He will say whatever it takes to win.

The sooner people realize this the less stressed they will be over the next few months.

He is not perfect. You will not agree with all his views. He won't fulfill all the dreams you have about January 09. In fact, He will probably let alot of you down if he wins. Why? because whatever President comes into the WH next has a damn mess to clean up that will take more then 4 years.


Just remember, that no matter how annoyed you get when you realize he is a politician and will behave as one: He is light years better then McCain.