Obama is a Moderate Republican

Here is the link...By: William Saletan - Slate
In a piece that appears in The Daily Republic

Obama is a moderate Republican

Obama’s instincts are the instincts of a moderate Republican. His policies are the policies of a moderate Republican. He stands where the GOP used to stand and will someday stand again.

Even John McCain quit his campaign temporarily, rushed to Washington and joined GWB in recommending the bailout.

Yes, Obama began his presidency with bailouts, stimulus, and borrowing.

You know who started the bailouts? George W. Bush.

Bush knew that under these exceptionally dire circumstances, bailouts had to be done.

Stimulus had to be done, too, since the economy had frozen up.

A third of the stimulus was tax cuts.

Once the economy began to revive, Obama offered a $4 trillion debt reduction framework that would have cut $3 to $6 of spending for every $1 in tax hikes.

That’s a higher ratio of cuts to hikes than Republican voters, in a Gallup poll, said they preferred.

It’s way more conservative than the ratio George H. W. Bush accepted in 1990.

In last year’s debt-ceiling talks, Obama offered cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid in exchange for revenue that didn’t even come from higher tax rates.

Now he’s proposing to lower corporate tax rates, and Republicans are whining that he hacked $716 billion out of Medicare. Some socialist.

This was a very good opinion piece, quite well stated and something I have recognized myself. What self respecting Socialist would whack $716 from Medicare?You can find even more evidence of this if you check around. I have included a few more related pieces below.

This is why it is especially infuriating and frustrating to hear people say Obama is practicing socialism, or they are frightened, and this is all new for the country, when he is so much more Republican in ideals and actions, certainly when compared to Republicans of the past he is far more in line with them than with the Democrats. Most Democrats or Liberals won't tell you that. Everyone wants to be fiscally responsible but there are things we will and will not do to get there. Obama has compromised liberal values considerably or we would have a public option or single payer health care system. The Affordable Heath Care Mandate was "the best we could do" and WE compromised and accepted a poor deal because it was at least a deal. Minimum basic care.

Yes, Obama imposed an individual mandate to buy health insurance. You know who else did that? Romney. You know where the idea came from? The Heritage Foundation.
Personal responsibility — insisting that people carry private insurance so we don’t have to bail them out in emergency rooms and hospitals — was a Republican idea.

Same with Wall Street reform: There’s nothing conservative about letting financial institutions gamble with other people’s money in ways that would force us to bail them out again.

Even Obama’s cap-and-trade proposal echoed the market-based emissions-control policies of the 1990 Bush administration and the 2008 McCain campaign.

And last year, when the EPA proposed a new air-pollution limit, Obama ticked off environmentalists by killing it on the grounds that it might jeopardize the recovery.

Obama’s no right-winger. You might have serious issues with his Supreme Court justices or his moves on immigration or the Bush tax cuts. But you probably would have had similar issues with Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon or Gerald Ford.

The author left this message for Republicans running for the hills in fear right now. It is unflattering, unfitting your office and most of all unnecessary. With a few minor tweaks - you got your guy!

Your country didn’t vote for a socialist Tuesday. It voted for the candidate of traditional Republican moderation. What should gall you, haunt you, and goad you to think about the future of your party is that that candidate wasn’t yours.

Here is a snippet of this link from Steven L. Taylor writing for Outside The Beltway
Vote moderate Republican - Vote Obama

In fairness to the much-maligned GOP field, they face a formidable hurdle: how to credibly attack Obama when he has adopted so many of their party’s defining beliefs....

Because Obama has governed as a centrist Republican, these GOP candidates are able to attack him as a leftist radical only by moving so far to the right in their rhetoric and policy prescriptions that they fall over the cliff of mainstream acceptability, or even basic sanity.

Ezra Klein of The Washington Post published a column titled “Obama Revealed: A Moderate Republican.”
Obama revealed: A moderate Republican

Rather, it appears that as Democrats moved to the right to pick up Republican votes,

Republicans moved to the right to oppose Democratic proposals.

As Gingrich’s quote suggests, cap and trade didn’t just have Republican support in the 1990s.

John McCain included a cap-and-trade plan in his 2008 platform.

The same goes for an individual mandate, which Grassley endorsed in June 2009

— mere months before he began calling the policy “unconstitutional.”

I think if you expand it to "he is a moderate Republican and an idiot" I would agree.

He basically wasted the stimulus, and so we hardly got a flicker out of it. He wasted billions in his green energy...they all about failed while he was killing coal and oil production. Even 24 hours after his election he did another killing blow to oil production...

green energy failing + no oil production = Idiot

Your post says he is taking "$716 billion out of Medicare. Some socialist" and dumping it into Obamacare with another trillion over a few years...

716 - Medicare + 2 trillion Obamacare = Idiot

His whole platform has been class warfare, need to tax the evil rich more while zero taxes on the middle class...

Evil rich tax increase 100 billion - 2 trillion more needed + 0 from the middle class + growing government + growing subsidies - 23 million out of work - 10s of million under employed = Idiot

The math always adds up to Idiot in his case...

This reminds me of a short discussion I was having with my U.S. history professor after class the other day. I was happy to hear that at least someone agreed with me when he called Obama moderate. This is why I just cannot grasp why so many republicans are so butthurt over the election, it could be much worse for them, a true democrat could be in office. I have to admit, I would probably like the guy much more if he were a lot more progressive.

Doesn't matter anymore. 4 more years of Obama.

The Obama administration does not have to defend itself anymore and republicans can stop criticizing because nothing can be done.

He is VERY MUCH like a moderate republican when you think about it. I do agree.

I have thought about that before and always question myself as to WHY do so many folks REALLY HATE this president?? WHY do folks bitterly hate THIS PARTICULAR president... hmmmm... OH wait, I think I know WHY and its quite IGNORANT on their part...

I would hardly call government takeover of healthcare moderate.

Liberals always have to hide their true agenda, because if Americans knew the truth they would reject it handily.

Conservatism, unlike liberalism, does not have to be hidden.

reply to post by solidguy

Conservatism, unlike liberalism, does not have to be hidden

Interesting because conservatives certainly like to hide their money

Originally posted by solidguy

Liberals always have to hide their true agenda, because if Americans knew the truth they would reject it handily.

Conservatism, unlike liberalism, does not have to be hidden.

I guess you didnt get the Memo.
Americans KNOW the Truth, The GOP lost, and is Self Destructing.
Romney Will get a WIKI Page, Be the Brunt of a Few Jokes, and Be Forgotten.

Originally posted by Tw0Sides

Originally posted by solidguy

Liberals always have to hide their true agenda, because if Americans knew the truth they would reject it handily.

Conservatism, unlike liberalism, does not have to be hidden.

I guess you didnt get the Memo.
Americans KNOW the Truth, The GOP lost, and is Self Destructing.
Romney Will get a WIKI Page, Be the Brunt of a Few Jokes, and Be Forgotten.

Too many takers, not enough makers.

Romney tried to tell us, but we didn't listen.

Now we are huge trouble.

When the adults get back in charge the cuts will have to be deep and painful, but it will be for our own good.

I think you may be right. He may be acting like a moderate Republican would act. I knew he was not a socialist because if you look at where the stimulus money and the Obamacare money actually goes, it is to the businesses. Calling him a Capitalist may be a little wrong, a moderate Republican actually fits better. I see Obamacare as something that a Republican would introduce. The only thing that is in oposition of him being a moderate Republican is his lowering of military funding, something that all Republicans would not touch. He must be a halfbreed.

Originally posted by Tw0Sides

Originally posted by solidguy

Liberals always have to hide their true agenda, because if Americans knew the truth they would reject it handily.

Conservatism, unlike liberalism, does not have to be hidden.

I guess you didnt get the Memo.
Americans KNOW the Truth, The GOP lost, and is Self Destructing.
Romney Will get a WIKI Page, Be the Brunt of a Few Jokes, and Be Forgotten.

100% correct!! America DOES KNOW the truth, the GOP HAS LOST, and they ARE self destructing!! WHEN WILL THE RIGHT FINALLY ACCEPT THAT THEY LOST and that America DISAGREES with them??

Originally posted by BaneOfQuo
Doesn't matter anymore. 4 more years of Obama.

The Obama administration does not have to defend itself anymore and republicans can stop criticizing because nothing can be done.

Did you even read the links? You should be pleased.
The guys a moderate republican by many definitions.
Your answer doesn't even make sense and doesn't have anything to do with the thread topic.

You sound like clinical depression has got the better of you. Pity.

reply to post by newcovenant


Your welcome, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

These political discussions have run its course. Obama can take any stance he wants now, it doesn't matter as long as it won't get him impeached.

Trying to reclassify his political affiliation is pointless and I see it as attempting to save face.

Originally posted by newcovenant
Here is the link...By: William Saletan - Slate
In a piece that appears in The Daily Republic

Obama is a moderate Republican

Obama’s instincts are the instincts of a moderate Republican. His policies are the policies of a moderate Republican. He stands where the GOP used to stand and will someday stand again.

My instinct is to say something sarcastic but I'm going to read this tomorrow and think about it.
I've said myself that Obama is George W on steroids.

Originally posted by BaneOfQuo
reply to post by newcovenant

 

Your welcome, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

These political discussions have run its course. Obama can take any stance he wants now, it doesn't matter as long as it won't get him impeached.

Trying to reclassify his political affiliation is pointless and I see it as attempting to save face.

Not really. It is shame that we compromised at all.

Originally posted by badgerprints

Originally posted by newcovenant
Here is the link...By: William Saletan - Slate
In a piece that appears in The Daily Republic

Obama is a moderate Republican

Obama’s instincts are the instincts of a moderate Republican. His policies are the policies of a moderate Republican. He stands where the GOP used to stand and will someday stand again.

My instinct is to say something sarcastic but I'm going to read this tomorrow and think about it.
I've said myself that Obama is George W on steroids.

Thank you for your deliberation and as always I will be looking forward to your educated and balanced opinion. I am not saying I will agree with it... but that I respect it and might even entertain it.

The GOP will not die, how fast and strong they come back will partly be affected by how high and mighty democrats act now. The exact same thing has happened and probably will again for the democrats. If you are a democrat and do not want a strong backlash, quit name calling and alienating those on the right. The right would do well to realize that they alienated the left and the center and thus the outcome of the last 2 elections. It's so simple. The more high and mighty and belligerent one side acts, the bigger the backlash at the polls the next season. Who loses is the center, as both sides become so extreme. I would greatly appreciate nuanced talk between two visions of our future which could be beneficial to all. Otherwise, we will get to keep on this yo-yo indefinitely.

And I realize this thread is about Obama being a moderate centrist republican. I don't know if I agree, but it is food for thought and interesting.

Originally posted by AudioOne
The GOP will not die, how fast and strong they come back will partly be affected by how high and mighty democrats act now. The exact same thing has happened and probably will again for the democrats. If you are a democrat and do not want a strong backlash, quit name calling and alienating those on the right. The right would do well to realize that they alienated the left and the center and thus the outcome of the last 2 elections. It's so simple. The more high and mighty and belligerent one side acts, the bigger the backlash at the polls the next season. Who loses is the center, as both sides become so extreme. I would greatly appreciate nuanced talk between two visions of our future which could be beneficial to all. Otherwise, we will get to keep on this yo-yo indefinitely.

Pride goeth before a fall. And these guys are gasping.
Oh and you do know it's four years and he's history. Where you think you are there buddy?
This is America and it is his second term. No keeping the yo-yo indefinitely.

Nuanced talk? Democrats have to win back Congress in 2014. Not that nuanced...lol

Some people think Republicans boasting about their Big Win
in advance of it happening was tempting the fates and THAT'S why they lost.

Of course nobody likes a braggart but could that be why they lost -
because they said they were going to win and win big, told everybody like a crowing cock?

I'll tell you - after some of the vicious mean spirited and nasty lies put out there to WIN in attack ads I saw during these last elections - I find it difficult to muster up the kumbaya.

reply to post by newcovenant


Are you responding to me? I didn't say anything about Obama running for a third term. Bush didn't have to run again to have angered so many people that McCain felt the heat. People will always see the next man (or woman) on the same party's ticket as a continuation. Also, I'm sorry, but you were straight insulting, I am talking about the republican-democrat 2 party yo-yo. Here you are insulting me, and I'm probably on your side.
Pride goeth before the fall is exactly what I said. My second sentence stated that Democrats benefitted from the backlash that the GOP created. I was trying to get people to say Kumbaya, and I am on the left. I voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012, but in 2009 when all the hero worship and Democrat pride swelled, I knew we were in trouble in the next election. I saw it immediately, and what happened? The Tea Party came to the fore in 2010. So instead of venting my frustration at the right, I want to be the better man. And if the GOP keeps abusing and name calling everyone who doesn't agree with them, the democrats might win big in 2014. However, if the democrats take part in the name calling sludge fest, the average joe in 2014 might vote republican. Because let's face it, most people actually believe that by electing some public officials, they can just wave a magic wand and fix the economy and everything else.

Its because Obama operates more as a pragmatist than anything. In some ways his policies can be seen and compared all over the spectrum. Obama is definetly further to the center overall than talking heads would have you believe, I just would not put him into the category of the current republican party.