Do you agree with Nancy Pelosi that the country must be govened from the middle?

[mtnsnake]

Poll question: Do you agree with Nancy Pelosi that the country must be govened from the middle?

I'm sure most of you are familiar with what she said, but for those who aren't, Nancy Pelosi told reporters, "The country must be governed from the middle".

She made that remark one frigging day after we kicked ass, just like how she remarked on Bush's behalf right after we won the majority in 2006 when she took impeachment off the table.

Is this what we worked so hard for....to govern from the middle after we've been screwed for 8 years from the Right?

[bluetrain]

1. This is the same agenda Clinton was ordered to work from which completely

screwed the progressive movement. The idea behind it really is to make just one political party.

[Cleita]

2. Please define where middle is for you and also Nancy.

Otherwise this poll can't be answered.

[thoughtcrime1984]

6. That's what I was thinking.

Obama is not conventional. That he would not fulfill all of the left's wishes doesn't necessarily mean he is governing from the center. He will include people of all stripes in his efforts, but I am confident that he will be able to achieve some of the left's agenda, without being Bizarro Bush. From what I take from Nancy's comments, I guess I would disagree with that at face value.

[Cleita]

13. Bringing people together with common ground, is

not governing from the middle, but finding a place where everyone agrees and then going from there. That's what Congress is supposed to do by debating the issues once the common or middle ground is established. What we have had is a Congress who just pushes through any legislation the Heritage Foundation and PNAC want with a rubber stamp from the President. From what I've seen even our Democratic leadership in Congress is doing the same thing.

[mtnsnake]

7. Obviously, "middle" is to way to the left of Obama, the man that just got elected

We did not elect Barack Obama so that he "must" govern from the middle. We elected him because he was left of middle. Everyone should know his positions by now.

[RC]

46. Sorry, but Obama is Right of center. He is no Liberal.

You may have been mislead because he seems to be more honest than most politicians.

[regnaD kciN]

56. I remember, when Ronald Reagan was nominated for President...

...someone asked him if he needed to "move to the middle" during the general election to attract more moderates. He replied, "well, I think of myself as moderate."

I think we can use the same definition. Sure, Obama should govern from the middle -- but, based on Tuesday's election returns, the political "middle" in this country is what wingnuts would call "the loony left." We should keep in mind that that's the true "middle" in this country, and govern as if the country truly is behind us, instead of feeling like we need to slip "liberal" ideas through so that the "center-right" electorate doesn't notice, which has been the modus operandi of Democrats for far too long.

[kickysnana]

3. Nanci's middle and mine are different

Hillary is said to be right of Eisenhower.

[SwampG8r]

72. ike was ok

not historical as POTUS but a straight up guy who loved him some america

[Lindsay]

4. I agree

as long as I get to define what the middle is.

[Barack_America]

5. It's to our detriment if we fail to recognize that we live in a "center right" country.

We will lose our majority if we do so.

It would also be to our detriment if we don't attempt to move the country further left. (i.e. the DLC)

We will lose our majority if we do that too.

The solution, IMO, is to start in the middle and go "steady left" from there.

[iowasocialist]

26. Center right?

How can we be a center-right nation when poll after poll shows clear majorities for progressive issues?

[WinkyDink]

43. We do not live in a "center right" country. This is the New Big Lie.

[TankLV]

49. We live in a CENTER LEFT at worst. Actually we live in a PROGRESSIVE country.

Stop spreading the repuke LIE...

By over 70%, Americans agree with LIBERAL or PROGRESSIVE stands on issues...

[ChazII]

65. Smart idea. n/t

[kenny blankenship]

8. If by middle you mean the one-step-down-from-fascism we've had for the past 8 years

then HELL NO.

[mtnsnake]

9. lol, no, not that. See post #7

[kenny blankenship]

19. It just that some people say by virtue of existing (unimpeached) for 8 years

the Bush Imperium is now the consensus and middle. By people of course I mean the media who aren't really people at all. Still they have their megaphone and they use it to perform a sleight of hand where Obama has to govern from the middle, and Bush has established the middle over the course of 8 years and 2 elections, so Obama gets admonished not to do anything George W. Bush hasn't already done or wouldn't do...

It's like being trapped in one of Zeno's paradoxes or something. We won --the vote tally SAYS we won--but supposedly for some reason we have to continue the same disastrous crap or "people" will become alarmed about all the "radicalism".

[GOPNotForMe]

10. But she also said the middle is progressive. Please read or listen to the entire quote. nt

[Two Americas]

11. the people

The people have utterly rejected Reaganomics and "free market" politics. That is not the "center" if we define "center" as halfway between the Democrats and the Republicans, that is most decidedly the Left. Rejecting Reaganomics and free market economics IS the Left. There is no other Left other that opposition to the ravages of the wealthy and powerful few and support for the working class.

For the Democrats to achieve this recent victory, millions of people formerly voting republican had to switch. Working in agriculture in the reddest counties around the country, what I have heard dozens of times every day leading up to the election is "we need another New Deal."

The people have moved dramatically to the Left. The Democratic party politicians and insiders will frustrate the people and their aspirations now at their own peril.

[jgraz]

12. Pelosi needs to remove her head from "the middle" of her ass

[xxqqqzme]

14. NO, absolutely not.

For the last 8 years we have been subjected to the whims and nastiness of the extreme right. We need to go left in order to get back to a center.

Yet again pelosi puts her foot in her mouth before using her brain.

[RollWithIt]

15. I'll go with left-center....

I believe America is best served when our Presidents govern for all Americans, not just their party. Bush is a good example of what happens when one side refuses to work with the other.

[NotThisTime]

23. Agreed...

[fasttense]

16. If the country took a hard left turn from the bush

we would still only reach right of the middle.

So go on over Nancy. Start walking left and tell us when you get there.

[mckara]

17. Nancy Pelosi is a Relic of the Past

I've been reading the Kondratieff Theory this afternoon, and Pelosi's desire to govern from the center will shortly be taken over by events. Liberalism and socialism will be needed to pacify the masses.

http://www.kwaves.com/kond_overview.htm

[Occam Bandage]

18. If we don't, our coalition will fall apart as quickly as the Permanent Republican Majority did. nt

[Fovea]

20. I think Nancy Pelosi needs to understand

that CHANGE IS NOT IN THE MIDDLE!

[Crunchy Frog]

21. If she wants to determine how this country should be governed,

she should run for president herself. Otherwise she should STFU.

[mtnsnake]

24. Exactly. We didn't elect Obama to have Pelosi tell the country how it should be governed

We elected Obama so he can see that the country is governed from his ideology, not Pelosi's idea of caving to Repbulicans.

[msallied]

28. If you believe that, then I guess we just elected a king, since what Congress says is so meaningless

:eyes:

[Crunchy Frog]

58. Congress passes legislation, doesn't tell the president how to govern.

:eyes: to you to.

[TahitiNut]

22. I'd agree if "middle" means the center of these charts ...

http://www.politicalcompass.org/uselection2008

[PBS Poll-435]

25. I totally agree with her.

Just need to reframe/redefine the definition of the middle after 8 sad ass years.

[msallied]

27. Historical patterns would suggest that what Americans accept now, they will reject later.

And vice versa. We'll see how "left" America feels after the Democrats have been in power for a decade. Governing from the center usually ensures some form of stability between the left and the right. We cannot govern as if the other half of this country doesn't exist. It's what Bush did for eight damn years, and look where it got us?

[mtnsnake]

31. Good point, but this is twice in a row that Pelosi has sought to diminish the significance

of our victories by coming up with statements the day after the elections that are like slaps in the faces to everyone from the base of the Party. Her saying that the country MUST govern from the middle is just Nancy caving in again, just like she did after we won in 2006.

[snake in the grass]

29. There is nothing...

...I agree on with Pelosi. She is a worthless enabler and I would like to see her removed as SOTH. How does that work actually? Kucinich would be so fantastic in this position.

[mtnsnake]

34. I could not agree with you more. Kucinich represents Obama's ideology much more than Pelosi does

but then again, Dennis Kucinich has consistently been one of my alltime favorite Democrats, so I'm a little biased when it comes to him.

[snake in the grass]

40. He was my pick...

...in the primaries but, unfortunately, the U.S. isn't yet that evolved. If we can't have him as POTUS, I would like to see him play a much larger role on the national stage. Do you know how it is decided who becomes Speaker? I really could live with that. Dennis is fearless.

[Hamlette]

30. aren't you people old enough to know that's what every politician has to say?

If Pelosi said "we need to govern this country from a liberal, far left position to make up for what Bush did. We need to look to Michael Moore (their boogey man, not mine) for guidance." We would lose all we've gained the last two elections.

Tell the sheep we are the moderates, we are the ones in the middle, we are the ones who listen to both sides. No one wants to think of themselves as out of touch or not part of the great middle. Lull them to sleep then we can do what needs doing.

"We told you we would govern from the middle and what the middle needs is single payer health care. Its the only thing that will save the middle of the country from being destroyed."

duh.

[political_Dem]

32. No. It opens the Dems up to more manipulation from the Republicans.

And you know they want us to bend down and kiss their shoe for four more years. There are few Republicans that one can work with, but most of them will use this "bi-partisanship" as a way to destroy Obama.

While we have them on their knees, it is time to truly put the Republicans out of power so that they don't do any more harm to this country.

[liberalpragmatist]

33. WTF do people expect her to say?

"I intend to govern from the radical left."

Seriously. Do people on DU have any clue about national politics?

Meanwhile listening to the whole statement makes clear what agenda she's trying to assert. She defines the center as a fairly progressive one (i.e. health care, energy reform, economic stimulus, financial market regulation):

Video and commentary: http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2008/11/the_progressive_center.php

[mtnsnake]

35. After 8 years of Bush, she should just let Obama tell us how the country "must" be governed

IOW, she should just STFU about it and let the President Elect lead us his way.

[liberalpragmatist]

36. Last time I checked, Speaker's a pretty powerful position

Why she should simply step out of the way and let the president-elect speak for her doesn't really make sense.

In any event, if you actually read through her entire remarks, what she said was entirely consistent with what Obama is promoting.

And if you expect Obama to come out and say he's governing from the left, I have a bridge to sell you. He'll likely make the same statements about governing from the middle and finding "common ground."

[TankLV]

50. Why is it that it's somehow acceptable for the bat shit insane right wing to be PROUD of their

CONSERVATISM, but we are constantly afraid of our LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE strengths and run away from it!

I am fucking tired of not fighting and standing up for what is RIGHT.

Nobody but the idiot repukes use the term "radical left", honey.

Nobody here is suggesting that at all.

BUT - we - the country - did not elect Congress two years ago, not Obama now, to govern from the RIGHT or some imaginary "center".

[liberalpragmatist]

59. If you listen to what she says...

... she defines the "center" as being for universal health care, renewable energy, economic stimulus.

People are freaking about because she claims those are "mainstream" and "middle".

How on earth do you expect to govern with a majority if you label your agenda "left"? The fact is that EVERYONE (including conservatives) claims that their agenda represents the center of public opinion.

[Juche]

66. Fuck the radical left

What have they given this country anyway? Labor unions, 40 hour workweeks, minimum wages, medicare, medicaid, social security, progressive taxes, women's suffrage, ending jim crow, gay rights, a foreign policy that values human rights, consumer protections, seatbelts, environmental protections, unemployment insurance. All that progress was non-controversial too.

Progress is not neat and tidy. FTR, even though I support Pelosi's talk of and action on raising the min. wage (in her speech), she raised it by tacking it onto a war funding bill. So in order to get a higher min wage (which 90% of the public supports) she had to support the war in Iraq (that 33% of the public support).

So by giving in on an issue where about 1/3 of the public support you you get an issue that 90% of the public support. And that is governing from the center?

I am concerned about overreaching, supposedly that is what led to the GOP revolution of 1994. But the US is not the same in 2008 as 1994. We are in deep shit right now.

But I agree with you. Progressives are like battered spouses who lose their self esteem and take on the attitudes of their abusers. Republicans are proud of being called conservative and say they want to govern as conservatives while denouncing liberals. Liberals are expected to hide their/our liberalism and govern from the center. Its like a guy who abuses (verbally, emotionally, etc) his wife and spends all night out on the town but expects his wife to keep a written record of everytime she leaves the house, and she does it. We are that battered spouse, taking on the attitudes and prejudices of assholes who attack us even when they are hypocritical and immoral. We need to keep reminding people of the track record of progressives (see my first paragraph) and be proud of that.

Bush bragged about being a conservative. So do all the members of the GOP. We hide from being liberals. Pathetic.

[totodeinhere]

37. Not only has Pelosi said that but so has Obama.

And he is serious about bring this country together and the only way to do that is to govern from the middle. We just had a right wing ideologue for eight years. What we don't need is to trade that for a left wing ideologue. There are too many pressing problems to deal with, and if we don't govern from the middle we won't get anything accomplished.

[mtnsnake]

39. Bull. He did not say that

He has stressed reaching across the aisle. He never said "The country must be governed from the middle". Google that sentence in quotes, and see who you come up with.

[totodeinhere]

53. As far as I'm concerned, reaching across the aisle and uniting the country is...

tantamount to governing from the center, because if he does not govern from the center he will not unite the country. And I think that is what Pelosi was getting at.

[Salviati]

38. I think that we must appear as if we are governing from the middle...

I think that the most importatnt task that the Obama administration has before it is not to enact any particular legislation per se, but to shepherd this country leftward and reverse this creep towards the right that has been happening for the past 30 years.

This is not going to be done by taking up an adversarial stance with those who have voted against us. It's more like convincing a five year old to do something. You aren't going to get very far by telling him what to do, or even if you do, it's not going to stick. The only way to make a perminant change is to co-opt them and convice them that what you want is really what they want as well.

This isn't to say that we shouldn't persue any type of legislation, it's just my take how how we should do it. Of course the right wing hacks and blowhards are going to be gunning for Obama from day 1, and we need to take an agressive line on dealing with them (hence Rahm Emmanuael), but when Obama is framing arguements for and speaking to the people, I expect him to not be speaking to us, but rather speaking to those who didn't vote for him.

He'll need to "cut through the filter" and talk directly to them, to overcome the right wing propiganda and to get them on our side.

[jonnyblitz]

41. HELL no. but it will be with Obama. nt

[WinkyDink]

42. Memo to Pelosi: You aren't named "Obama".

[gravity]

44. Governing in the middle is the way for long term Democratic rule

Learn from the lessons of Bill Clinton in the middle 90s. Getting sidetracked pushing your ideological issues will lose the Democratic majority pretty quickly.

We need to make change but we have to take it one step at the time to move the country slowly to the left. You have to have a long term plan and get your priorities in order.

[Juche]

67. 1994 =/= 2008

There is 14 years seperating these two periods and alot changes in 14 years.

However, the liberal agenda and the agenda the public support are pretty much the same thing. Universal healthcare, higher min. wage, ending the war, letting medicare negotiate prices, SCHIP expansion, tax credits for college, progressive taxes. Etc.

[TankLV]

45. NO.

WE earned the right to govern.

The repuke meme was that Obama was a SOCIALIST/COMMUNIST - and the country elected him by a LANDSLIDE.

This is NOT a "center-right" country - it's a CENTER-LEFT country.

Govern like it.

We have to UNDUE EVERYTHING IN THE PAST EIGHT YEARS from the Patriot Act to the Nazi Homeland Security Department...

[Labors of Hercules]

47. I agree most people must PERCEIVE that they are being governed from the middle.

[Lumpsum]

48. If we wanted a liberal in office, we should have voted in Kucinich.

Obama = center right.

[TheDoorbellRang]

51. Other

The country must be governed by Obama.

[mvd]

52. Other, I'd say

Be forceful in getting policies through and listen to progressives like me. But don't try too much too early.

[TxBlue]

54. Nancy Peloisi needs to ride on out of town & don't let door slam on way out

[breakingnewz]

55. I'm with Pelosi

The budget deficit is too large to spend crazy money as we speak.

[GreenPartyVoter]

57. There is no middle. There are opposing sides which must negotiate the middle

ground every time they work on something.

To start from the hypothetical middle is a very poor way of bargaining. It only guarantees that you'll get pulled further right as you make concessions. Better to start out left (or high) and let them haggle you down a bit.

[jonnyblitz]

60. middle to me is right(wing)nt

[IndianaJones]

61. absolutely. nt.

[fishwax]

62. Sorry, Madam Speaker, but elections have consequences

:)

[Juche]

63. The middle is the left

When you look at what the right wing stands for, it is an agenda that to a large degree only has the approval of a minority of hte public. Total banning of abortions, a supply side economic philosophy, hostility towards gays (beyond just marriage, outright discrimination), a militant immigration policy, etc.

Liberal agendas are fairly moderate by public standards if you look at opinion polls. Middle class tax cuts, a more progressive tax structure, getting serious about renewable energy, universal healthcare, help affording college, the rule of law, environmental protections, getting out of Iraq. Look at opinion polls, about 60-80% of the public agree on these issues.

[Danger Mouse]

64. Fuck Pelosi.

[Common Sense Party]

68. Nancy doesn't even agree with Nancy that we must govern from the middle.

She's just trying to calm fears...but we're definitely tacking leftward.

[Not a robought]

69. You're going to have to go WAY left

just to get in eyesight of the middle.

[IndianaGreen]

70. Depends on what is meant by middle.

If that means second class citizenship for LGBTs, forget it!

[Norrin Radd]

71. Only after the Democratic Party becomes the new right,

and then there is a new left Party.

For now, we should govern from the top of that table she denies us.

[anonymous171]

73. Yes. But only for Obama's first term.

[eridani]

74. I think that we ought to get busy REDEFINING the middle

Start by ignoring the wingers and advocating what we want.

[dcindian]

75. Me thinks Pelosi has something to hide and is hoping for a forgive and forget

mushy middle road ignore of her and Bush's crimes.

[johnlucas]

76. My choice ain't in the selection

What IS it with all this Left Right Middle BS??

Forget about all that. There are positions and there are other positions.
There are positions that are RIGHT and there positions that are WRONG.
That's RIGHT as in CORRECT and WRONG as in NOT LEFT but INCORRECT.

Who came up with this silly spectrum/flow chart/pie graph of political positions anyway? Reminds me of the useless Hardcore/Casual labeling situation in the world of videogaming. Labels ain't getting the job done and it warps the thinking on how the issues should be achieved.

I'm not looking for Political Theory Graphs, I'm looking for Solutions. Solutions that work and solutions that stick. Solutions all based upon the needs of the populace that make up the country they are managing.

People really get too caught up with this left/right 'bullsheet'. Look at the situation, devise the best plan to solve it, and follow through. And yes this sometimes, if not many times, does away with the holy "bipartisanship". Why? Because some of those partisans are flat WRONG. Sometimes there's only a few ways to skin a cat.

Republicans have been running this thing outright since 1994. They're wrong. Move on to some right conclusions. Correct conclusions. To hell with the labels.
John Lucas

[dissemination]

77. I do not think much will get done unless he govens from

the middle.

[RoadRage]

78. If by "MIDDLE" you mean:

1. Judges who are not religious whack jobs
2. Stem Cell Research is gone
3. Instead of beating up the environment, we generate a "Green" energy economy
4. Healthcare for everyone who wants it
5. Getting us the hell out of Iraq
6. Stop spending billions on pork, and begin fixing our inferstructure
7. etc.
8. etc.
9. etc.

then YES... i'm all for legislating from the middle.

Politicians always say this. Bush said this. It's PC. Just let it happen!

[Bill McBlueState]

79. blah

People need to try a little harder to understand that this left-right continuum is just a model for describing politics, and not a very good one at that. There's no holy and absolute middle ground for every single position.

I just want Obama and Congress to find real solutions to our problems, not to seek out some imaginary middle ground to avoid offending so-called centrists and conservatives.

[mmonk]

80. If by governing from the middle, one means the way she governs, absolutely not.