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Center Right, Center Left

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 09:43:41 AM EST
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Via Yglesias, Fox News declares America a "Center Left" country:

Via Sirota, Ruth Marcus proves Broder still rules the Beltway World. Here's the thing, if the Beltway takes Obama's platform and declares it Center Right, hell even Far Right, I will not complain. But they won't. That is Far Left to these bozos. Their contempt for the American People is disgusting.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

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    Center Right, Center Left | 26 comments (26 topical)

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    It ain't just FOX (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by cal1942 on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 10:17:25 AM EST
    Late last night Browkaw was babbling on about Obama forming a "commission" consisting of "senior Republicans" and (stammer, stammer) 'some Democrats' to do decide what to do, about what I never really caught.

    Now I may have missed something because of the din of the party but it sounded like Browkaw was talking about some Village like fantasy of how to govern.

    Listening to these people last night and reading some columns in recent days makes me believe that they'll do everything they can to insure that Democrats don't enact a Democratic type agenda.

    Reminds me of the aftermath of the 2006 mid-terms when the Village decided that it was time for bipartisanship. They said nothing while the Republicans were ramming through their agenda, but, when Democrats acquired a little clout it was time to be bipartisan.

    This Village doesn't have one idiot, it's populated exclusively by idiots.  Idiots not worthy of the American people.
     

    Brokaw has been beating that (5.00 / 2) (#15)
    by inclusiveheart on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 10:35:43 AM EST
    "coalition government' drum for weeks now.  This morning on "MoUrning Joe" he warned the Obama Administration against going against the "center right" will of the people - and went on some trip down memory lane talking about his "old hippie friends" and how they were wrong on Nixon, Reagan, Bush and Bush.  Rolling eyes.  Brokaw needs to go back into retirement.

    Brian Williams then came on later and noted that many in his extended family felt that the world ended last night.  I am not sure why we needed to be informed of that anecdotal story from a supposedly unbiased news reporter, but I am still wondering why I needed to know that Tom Brokaw's mother could never vote for Brack Obama either.

    I don't think Fox News is the only place we can expect to see this spin as we go forward.  

    Parent

    The problem is that (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by oldpro on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 11:12:13 AM EST
    Obama has enabled it with all that crap about post-partisanship.

    Never forget that he IS the establishment candidate...for a reason.

    Parent

    I don't think you can resonably blame (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by inclusiveheart on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 12:39:58 PM EST
    Obama for the ridiculousness I witnessed this morning on both MSNBC and CNN.

    I agree that the post partisan stichk is problematic, but it did not provoke the ridiculous spin that I saw - what I saw was pure GOP advance work aimed at setting up their plan to obstruct at every opportunity as a "good" thing in the minds of their viewers.  Given their intent, the post partisan stichk might actually work in the Dems' favor when they are able to say to the American public - "As promised, we tried our best to work with them, but now for the good of the country we need to ignore them."  We shall see.

    Parent

    if Obama is smart ... (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by vector on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 12:56:57 PM EST
    One of the best things that he (Obama) can do for himself, and the Democratic party, would be to appoint Arlen Spector to some meaningless important-sounding job.

    Maybe do the same thing with Voinovich or some other GOP senator who represents a blue state.

    This would give Obama a stronger base in the Senate.  Plus, those senators would be replaced by Dem governor appointees.  

    Parent

    Not only will he govern (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by OldCity on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 10:25:25 AM EST
    from the center, I think he will change the popular idea of what the center is.

    What Fox doesn't realize, or perhaps they do, and what the Republicans are being forced to acknowledge is that their vaunted "traditional American values" were not representative of the mainstream.  (Well, except for gay marriage, and that's a fscking disgrace.)

    Americans, it seems, do have expectations of government.  Americans understand the social contract far better than Fox or the Republicans believed.  Of course, by destroying faith in their governmental philosophy, the Republicans may have fostered that understanding.  

    Don't take this the wrong way, but (none / 0) (#2)
    by lobary on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 09:50:58 AM EST
    I think I love you, BTD.

    Couldn't agree more.

    apparently, (none / 0) (#3)
    by cpinva on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 09:52:06 AM EST
    the american people are eating this up, otherwise FOX would have no advertising, and would eventually go off the air. their contempt for the american public would appear to be well founded.

    I work in the belly of Fox-nation (none / 0) (#5)
    by ruffian on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 10:06:33 AM EST
    They are indeed eating it up. The fretting about socialism and 'change means he wants the change in your pocket' jokes are all over this morning. Just as Fox got pouplar during the Clinton years, I expect it to stay popular now as the only place these people can go to hear this tripe.

    Parent
    I love predictions... (none / 0) (#4)
    by Dadler on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 10:05:39 AM EST
    ...based on nothing but talking head irrationality.  Obama has, if anything, indicated he'll be more center-right than those on the left would prefer.  For heaven's sake, his entire schtick has been about all there IS is the center.  Fox pox is apparently in full epidemic bloom.  No surprise.  Soon enough they'll be onto stuff like Joe Klein's little nugget this morning on CNN about getting a message from someone in Kabul that said even the Taliban now think America can be talked to.  That should send their Fox pox into full pustule mode.

    All we know is...we shall see.  

    Their contempt for the American People (none / 0) (#6)
    by Faust on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 10:08:01 AM EST
    is disgusting.

    I thought that was worth repeating. Here I'll say it one more time:

    Their contempt for the American People is disgusting.

    Despite the support of the media for Obama over McCain (on average) lets us all remember that the problems with the 4th estate are problems fundamental to our current situation.

    As Somberby often asks (paraphrase): can a nation survive with a national discourse like this?

    Obama has tried to make the labels (none / 0) (#7)
    by ThatOneVoter on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 10:11:05 AM EST
    irrelevant, which is a good thing, as long as he tries to follow the Socialist program  I think he wants to implement.
    Seriously, it's smart to say that energy issues are the top priority---that's just not a Leftist stance.
    Socialist program? (none / 0) (#12)
    by Pepe on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 10:31:25 AM EST
    What Socialist program?

    You know this thread is about how the Right is trying to label Obama's platform. That is irrelevant because the truth is that no one here can say with certainty exactly what his platform is. he shifted more that the sand of the Sahara in this election being all things to each group and promising things to each group which of course is an impossible task. One thing for sure is he is no socialist no is he a progressive who will institute socialist programs. I fell sorry for those who voted for him that think he is because you got manipulated.

    It is far more likely that Obama will revert to his earlier campaingn mode, which his history shows is the true Obama, and govern from the middle, post-partisan style,with compromises between the Left and Right every step of the way. That means at times we will get half a loaf, with many things we want left wanting for. The Right will get theirs and when they do we will not get ours.

    But the argument of center-left versus center-right is silly. In reality on any given day it will fall on or between the two and labels do not really matter. What matters is that the Left has lost with Obama and we will get a crumb here and there but that is about it. We got duped as you will all soon know come at the end of 2009.

    Parent

    Hey, I'm just dreaming. Unfortunately (none / 0) (#14)
    by ThatOneVoter on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 10:32:28 AM EST
    I don't think Obama really is a Socialist.

    Parent
    Oh good (none / 0) (#21)
    by Pepe on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 11:40:14 AM EST
    you had me worried man! It's important that we all stay reality based with Obama.

    Parent
    Don't Over Reach .... (none / 0) (#9)
    by Katherine Graham Cracker on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 10:18:54 AM EST
    is the theme the beltway pundits picked for their post election day blitherings.  The other choice was Bush knows the importance of  a good transition  because Clinton took the "W's" off of his computers.  

    They're still repeating that lie? (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by ThatOneVoter on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 10:24:55 AM EST
    Heck, I hope Obama puts George W. Bush toilet paper in all the restrooms in the White House.
    That would be a good transition.

    Parent
    Postpartisan Chant, 2008 v 2000 (none / 0) (#22)
    by KeysDan on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 12:25:00 PM EST
    heard in front of the Naval Observatory: "Get out of Biden's House"

    Parent
    I was just talking to another professor (none / 0) (#13)
    by ThatOneVoter on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 10:31:54 AM EST
    in my department, and his response was that Obama will be terrible, because he'll raise taxes.
    I don't understand how educated people can have such a narrow view of politics.

    Market fundamentalism (none / 0) (#17)
    by jondee on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 11:18:04 AM EST
    almost as toxic as the theological kind.

    Parent
    Right: lower taxes and raise revenues (none / 0) (#19)
    by ThatOneVoter on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 11:26:47 AM EST
    .. rolls eyes. And we're talking about a mathematics department here.

    Parent
    M.cCain as maverick will (none / 0) (#18)
    by oldpro on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 11:20:22 AM EST
    be an enabler of the Obama agenda (whatever that is) as his remarkable speech last night signaled to me.  

    Since he lost the election going with the base and the R label, he is now free to return to maverickism, his preferred course of action...except for the wars/foreign policy, of course.

    Hope Obama takes advantage of that in the new post-partisan world.

    Maverick/ (5.00 / 2) (#24)
    by desertswine on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 12:46:31 PM EST
    Cadaverick.

    Parent
    Good One (none / 0) (#26)
    by squeaky on Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 12:30:36 AM EST
    But I am astounded that people voted for him because of that. From think progress:

    BECK: I mean, I have to tell you if I heard once, I heard 1,000 times from people, and I never said this, never said this on the air because you just don't say these things, but I heard a million times from people, "I'm going to vote for John McCain and, you know, I mean, he's old. Maybe we get Sarah Palin in the first term." You know what I mean?

    ERICKSON: Exactly.

    Hard to believe. Although after seeing what BushCo spawned I am not surprised.

    Parent

    I expect so. In fact, if there are any (none / 0) (#20)
    by ThatOneVoter on Wed Nov 05, 2008 at 11:27:55 AM EST
    war crimes trials for Bushies, McCain will be very supportive, I'm sure.

    Parent
    You Are Joking (none / 0) (#27)
    by squeaky on Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 12:32:27 AM EST
    Right?

    Parent
    Center Right, Center Left | 26 comments (26 topical)

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