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excon · Jan 23, 2011, 09:32 AM

Hello:

I've got a problem with the right wing... When the left got shellacked in the last election, wingers said that the nation was telling Obama that he should move to the right, and he has. To you, that's as it should be...

But, when the right wing got shellacked in 2008, you didn't think that you should move to the left... Nooooo... In fact, you thought you should move MORE to the right - and you did.

What I want to know, is why you think that? Why SHOULDN'T Obama have moved MORE toward his base just like you did?

excon

adthern · Jan 23, 2011, 01:34 PM

Hey Ex, let me preface with Im not a right winger (nor a left winger). I think that even in his owh party, he was encouraged to move to the right. Sadly, the elections tend to slam the incumbant when the populace is unhappy i.e.: last election, 2008, 1990's etc... Obama has his base, theyw ill vote for him no matter what, and the right will for their candidate, however the middle folk are up for grabs. Those are the ones he is courting for 2012. At least that's how I see it.

excon · Jan 23, 2011, 01:42 PM

Hello again, Ad:

Oh, I understand why Obama did it, and I understand what the base will do.. What I don't understand, and you haven't answered, is why EVERYBODY, his party included, thinks he should have moved right, when in 2008, NOBODY thought the Republicans in congress, or those running for office should move left.

excon

tomder55 · Jan 23, 2011, 07:20 PM

He's a basketball player . This so called move to the right is a head fake that he briefly did right after the November elections .
Yes we got a temporary repise from the coming income tax increases. But in return the President got his flawed START treaty and the repeal of DADT .

Bringing in Immelt to replace a supply side economist on his economic team is not a move to the center.

He still hasn't ended the moratorium on drilling as gas prices are rising daily.

His executive moves by-passing the legislative process do not resemble centrism .
He put the death panels back into Obamacare by executive fiat . He is using his EPA to enforce lefty global warming legislation.

excon · Jan 23, 2011, 08:03 PM

Hello again:

I don't know. Is my question THAT hard to understand?

excon

adthern · Jan 24, 2011, 01:57 AM

Well, I think there are certain issues he should be more attune to the majority on (not so much to the right) an example is the healthcare bill... personally, I don't understand his big push to get that through. Repealing DADT, yes. To some extent the TARP (crap) but forcing healthcare (specifically the giant bill that no one read prior to passing) when the economy was a much bigger issue... I just shake my head.

That being said, I think in 08 the republican candidates were more moderate than they had been (except for palin). The front runners, Mcain, Guilianni and Romney to a certain extent. Personally, I would like to see Obama do as LBJ did and step down, but I don't see that happening.

tomder55 · Jan 24, 2011, 03:28 AM

Originally Posted by excon

Hello again:

I dunno. Is my question THAT hard to understand?

excon

I had to dispute the premise 1st. He has not moved away from the left. The Dems did not lose because they weren't being liberal enough. The President's drop in support has mostly been from the center . Yes he's lost some netroot Kossaks because he hasn't closed GITMO and thrown everyone in the Bush Adm in jail. But those people are not the reason he won anyway.

The next premise is the definition of center. I do not accept the straight line of liberal on the exteme left and conservative of the extreme right. But if I did ,then I would also argue that the country's middle is to the right of that center .

I only think he needs to move to the center if he wants a chance to get reelected. I think if he did it would be good for the country so I encourage it . But it isn't going to happen. I give this whole commity thing a month .

We did not have to move too far towards the center because we are closer to the center than he is. We already to a large degree have the support of the mainstream. Contrary... The Republicans lost in 2008 because they had been attempting to cater to the left with huge entitlement increases and other unnecessary expenditures.

They will lose again if they go back to those patterns.

excon · Jan 24, 2011, 11:14 AM

Hello again,

What I want to know, is WHY the right wing DIDN'T think IT should move left when they got obliterated in 2008. They, in fact, thought the opposite.. They thought that they should move FURTHER right, and they did...

Why isn't it just fine for Obama to move further left after the same thing happened to him?? Why the calls for him to move AWAY from his base, when the Republicans moved CLOSER to theirs after their defeat...

Can I make it any plainer?

excon

Stringer · Jan 24, 2011, 11:26 AM

I rarely if ever do I post in these forums but I am.

I think that most voters are moderates and that is what the 'chase' is all about with our politicians.

tomder55 · Jan 24, 2011, 11:37 AM

I did address your question in response # 7 .

The remedy for the Republicans was not to move further left. They lost because they had moved in that direction on issues of Federal government growth and spending . Voters rejected that in 2008 ,and more so last year.
Both elections can be summed up as voter rejection to the growth of the Federal government.

If the President hasn't learned that lesson yet then he deserves to lose in 2012 .

excon · Jan 24, 2011, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by tomder55

They lost because they had moved in that direction on issues of Federal government growth and spending .

Hello again, tom:

I'm having a hard time here...

Obama and the Democrats OBLITERATED the Republicans in 2008. You say they lost because they weren't RIGHT enough. You say they abandoned their base, and they should reclaim them by moving right.

The Democrats were OBLITERATED by the Republicans in 2010. You say they lost because they weren't RIGHT enough. You say they shouldn't move to reclaim their base. They should move AWAY from them...

I say they lost in 2010 because they weren't LEFT enough. I, like you, think they abandoned their base. Since there ARE many disaffected left wing voters, (enough to have caused the landslide of '08) why shouldn't Obama move to RECLAIM them, instead of trying to claim something on the right, that the right will never give him??

Why is moving toward your base GOOD for Republicans, but not for Democrats?

excon

tomder55 · Jan 24, 2011, 12:30 PM

Obama and the Democrats OBLITERATED the Republicans in 2008. You say they lost because they weren't RIGHT enough. You say they abandoned their base, and they should reclaim them by moving right.

The Democrats were OBLITERATED by the Republicans in 2010. You say they lost because they weren't RIGHT enough. You say they shouldn't move to reclaim their base. They should move AWAY from them...

Indeed . When the Republicans moved towards the Left they moved away from the mainstream. When the Democrats move toward the right they move towards the mainstream.
I said the mainstream is right of center ,and I think the last 2 elections have proven that true. The Republicans by passing massives increases in entitlement spending moved left of the mainstream . The Republicans by promoting policies that expanded the government had moved left of the mainstream. Their move rightward is a correction back towards the mainstream.