Barack Obama, thus far in his political career, is a hard person to peg.


A mixed-race kid from Kansas AND Hawaii in the 1980s....community organizer....food critic in local Chicago media........seeming lefty in the Illinois state house.....non-discrminate Senator thereafter.

Runs for POTUS in 2008 on a platform of hope, change.....largely continuing the foreign policy of the Bush Administration, tax cuts, shying away from gun control, and something very short of universal health care....wins the race and appoints a number of anti-left heads to government posts.......quiet as a mouse during the transition on things like Gaza.......seems to have forged a buddy relationship with Bush #43 on the way out.......and never wants to upset anyone with his words or policy.


I am registered to vote as a Dem and consider mysef center/center-right and wait for this guy to show his leftist bent but it doesn't happen. He proposes an economic stimulus that is almost 50% tax cuts to almost everyone's surprise. He spoke of "spreading the wealth" during the campaign but nothing he's shown so far is that socialistic....yet.


He showed little interest in campaigning for Congressional contests, clammed-up in run-offs after the Presidential race, and has issued zip since. His proposed Chief of Staff is a former IDF soldier who follows the "Blue Dog" moderate line in campaigns like 2006 that got people like Heath Schuler elected.


I both get and don't get this guy at the same time. He seems to be both pragmatic and ideaistic at the same time. He seems to champion the national Democratic platform on one hand while distancing himself on the other. He distances himself from Bush and Congressional Republicans while also continuing a serious degree of their policies and edging to those voters.



I can see Obama as the guy with a Civic hybrid and an F-350 in his driveway with "Union Proud" and "Charleton Hesston is my President" stickers accordingly. All confusion intended.

What an odd duck this Obama guy is..........right now he comes across as the most liberal Republican or the most mod/conservative Dem to see the White House since Truma.

*raises hand*

What's a Nubian?

The translation - it's a win for the hardline conservatives and Republicans because Obama likely will not be implementing the hard left policies that they feared. Also a win for moderates on both sides and it's what they wanted all along.

The only losing side would seem to be the hard left who should be howling up a storm about how their policies aren't being met and how Obama isn't a true Democrat. Example - huge tax cuts instead of tax increases? That's a Republican move, not something you typically see in Democratic leadership.

Since the far left and the far right are so noisy we forget that the majority of the crowd is in the middle. And the middle is a pretty good place to be.

They are the millions who are undecided on election day.

As simple as this statement may seem, he may just not care about party lines. And to me, that is a really good thing.

I live in a household wtih an SUV and a civic. I personally don't care for SUVs but it is mostly parked and brought out when needed, such as weather and taking things to the dump. But we live in a situation that justifies and SUV, and we avoid the mall like the plague.

And that the kind of man Obama maybe, just getting your ducks lined up.

As the saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer....

ANd as far as background goes, being of different races and places doesn't make him unusual in my area. In fact, it is pretty norm. Lot of people of different races and lots of places.

[edit on 6-1-2009 by nixie_nox]

Apparently Obama comes off like a normal person.
That's why normal people voted for him.

And the fact that Republicans were now seen in a God awful light.
Perhaps that's why Obama was seen as normal if you think he is not.

Gore was a stiff, W. Bush seemed more homey.

Adlai Stevenson was an egghead.
Eisenhower saved the country.

Nixon a creep vs Kennedy approachable.

Thank you for saying all of that!
There's a big question mark above my head as well when I listen/watch him.
It's all a little - "the way the wind blows".
He's blows to the extremes - both of them - extremely center - if that is possible.
Confused perhaps?

My hope is that his intentions are good.
But even those, only go so far, if your choices are poor.


[edit on 10-1-2009 by spinkyboo]

Barry (not a negative, that's his nickname from high school and so on) does seem to be both the "guy next door" and someone above normal politics. The guy is extremely likable and fallable much unlike his opponent who was aloof and cranky.


If Obama follows an "as the wind blows" path then it's not a bad thing. Sometimes the public will follow a left/right-idealist while other times they want a mirror of themselves in the Big House. Sometimes a strong ideological person drags the country along behind them.....at other times the country drags the politician with them. It seems we are the stage of the latter.


Obama is perched on a precipice right now-if his stimulus plan and the auto bailout do not arrive then he is a cooked goose. This time next year will let us know whether he is a strong politician or a weak partisan and then we'll be faced with the results for 3 years to come. His biggest foes right now are fellow Democrats, not Republicans, and Conresssional Dems are very fractured even if being the majority.

I think he is doing things just right so far. He is the one!

Yes..i look forward to the increased spending and debt that he will help put forth on us. That makes us all winners in my book.

His tax cuts for for a single person is 500 a year..1000 for couples. That's 10 and 20 dollars a week extra per check. That's alot. Since all the states are going broke the taxes will be increased elsewhere anyway.

Do you think that is going to pull us out of a recession? Best yet...do you think this will stop our debt from increasing?

Anything he does we will have to pay for. They can tax us or print more money...both of which hurts us.

He's just another GB except with a D instead of an R next to his name.

yeah....we're all winners in this. Yippie for us.