Quote of the Day: The Center Holds Under Barack Obama
Our political Quote of the Day comes from a must-read-in-full post by Susan J. Demas, a political analyst for Michigan Information & Research Service, writing on mlive.com, the Lansing, Michigan, Capital Chronicles website. She argues that the center is holding under Barack Obama, despite fierce attacks from the left and the right and despite what you may read in blogosphere.
Here’s how she begins:
Some days, I think I must be the only person in America who does not blame all the world’s ails (and my own personal failings) on the president.
To read the news, you would think that all Republicans think Barack Obama is a naïve, freedom-hating fascist commie hell-bent on taking our guns and making us all have abortions (yes, even the guys). And every liberal thinks the prez is a warmongering neocon in sheep’s clothing (or worse, a centrist) willing to sell his grandmother to the GOP to achieve bipartisan consensus to make Wall Street fat cats even flusher.
The truth is, about half of the country approves of Obama. Not stellar numbers, but for the worst downturn since the Great Depression marked by one and 10 people out of work, it’s probably as good as can be expected. And in spite of the steady stream of venom against the president on liberal sites like Daily Kos, he actually hasn’t lost much support from Democrats in the polls.
But just try to read coverage in an increasingly shallow mainstream media and the fanatically partisan blogosphere about folks who actually think our commander-in-chief is capable.
Good luck. It’s much better copy to go with the gripers.
She takes a look a news coverage, what she calls the misunderstanding of how government works displayed by some writers, and then praises Obama for staying on a course that — within the current American political context — is moderate and centrist. Then she writes at the end:
Obama has governed as a centrist president and no one should pretend otherwise. His health care reform is not radical, nor is his energy plan, nor is his foreign policy, which looks almost identical in tone and substance to that of Bush the Elder. He has increased spending, though not nearly as much as Bush the Younger, and has made key cuts, like killing off the F-22 (something no one thought could be done).
There is great uneasiness with change in this country, as there always is, and it’s punctuated by a horror-show economy. Civil rights, child labor laws, Social Security – none of this came easy. But they’re now the fabric of our society.
That’s what breeds fear on the right and impatience on the left. But for those of us in the center, this is what inspires hope.
Now read it in full from start to finish.
17 Responses to “Quote of the Day: The Center Holds Under Barack Obama”
This strikes me as a well reasoned commentary. Given the sorry state of affairs upon taking office, and the downward motion of things, who would have done any better 11 months into the job? If things gradually improve over the next couple years, even incrementally, then I think a second term will be in the offing. However, if things stay the same (or god forbid get worse) then his welcome (such as it is) will be withdrawn in short order… with little regard given to whether or not his replacement is better qualilfied. Such is the nature of politics and such is the nature of the electorate.
I didn't vote for Obama, but I would give him a thumbs up if I were ever polled. Actually, I would give him 2 thumbs up. I still think McCain would have done a better job, but that would have made Palin the VP…..and that thought gets scarier by the day.
I don't think McCain would have been able to do any better, the issues we're facing are much bigger than just the President level, it's the ineptitude of Congress (both the current and last few) that need change.
Imagine if Obama had inherited the country that GWB was allowed to inherit in 2000! Lordy…
Didn't vote for Bush in 2000, or 2004 voted write in for McCain and Libertarian. In retrospect, Al Gore winniing in 2000 would likely have been preferable, however I'll still take Bush in 2004 over Kerry.
I also think McCain would have done a better job, and helped to bring the country more together under bipartisanship rather than continue in the manner of Bush, and he certainly would have reversed many of Bush's detaineee policies that Obama has continued to support.
A come on, you're a moderate, ain'tcha, let us off the hook. Who knows, maybe some day we may return the favor,
Better under McCain? Oh come on! I doubt that…. How quickly people forget about his (and his advisors) asinine and out of touch ideas, including the belief that the country was not even in a recession. If the Republicans had practiced what they preached then banks would have been nationalized and there would be no auto industry, except for Ford. And if all of that had been done, then not only would tens of millions of shareholders (either through direct investment or through mutual funds) would have those pieces of their portfolio wiped out but the DJIA would be sitting at 4,000 right now instead of at 10,000.
And as far as dealing with other countries… Obama has been criticized (rightly or wrongly) for bowing too deeply to certain allies. Tsk, tsk, tsk… how soon we all forget the “gaffes” (much more serious in my mind) that McCain did…. including not realizing that Spain was an ally. And of course McCain was poking Russia in the eye over the whole Georgia/Russia incident…. Obama has improved our relations with our allies, but with McCain he would have continued to poke our allies in the eyes. Obama was able to get NATO to send in more troops to Afghanistan. Do you really think McCain would have been able to do the same? In fact McCain places more importance on Iraq then on the place where the enemies who attacked us are… in Afghanistan.
So please, if anyone thinks McCain would have done a better job then give me an example. The only difference is that the Democratic Congress would not hold up McCain's legislation and be making “death panel” type pronouncements. The Dems did not treat our last president that way, and there's no reason to think the Dems would treat McCain with less than the respect he would have deserved had he been president.
No and no. Bankruptcy is not the same as liquidation. Many of those banks would have been reorganized, the assets would have been more fairly evaluated, their stockholders would have taken greater losses, their management would have been fired, and their contracts would have been renegotiated, but the companies would more than likely have survived. You also can't tell me that the economy would have suffered greatly when the banks stopped lending, because they did anyway — we're just paying them insane bonuses for doing so. The bailouts were done for a few, politically powerful groups, not for the nation as a whole.
Since McCain campaigned on pretty much the same platform as Obama, this speculation over who is better is saying that the bigger prize was behind the curtain (for you younger folk, that's a reference to “Truth or Consequences”, the game show)
Well, when it comes to presidential elections I've voted republican, independent, green, and democrat, but in the end I'm issue oriented more than party oriented. It just so happens that democrats are currently the lesser of the evils when it comes to issues I care about.
<blockquotes>So please, if anyone thinks McCain would have done a better job then give me an example.
Honduras, wouldn't have to backtrack like the Obama administration is now
Iran. no more Mr. Kissy face with no results
Stimulas package, saved the taxpayer hundreds of billions, put money in the hands of folk who actually provide jobs
Bagram, ended the Bush policies instead of continuing them.
Detainees, ended many Bush policies instead of continuing them.
Afghanistan, would not have hesitated to give the forces there more support but would have looked into costs carefully using his many years of experience in the area.
Automotive Sector, less bailouts for companies that deserve nothing from the taxpayer
And most importantly,
Bipartisanship, the same willingness to work across party line that has been the most notable thing in McCain's political career, unlike Obama and his 95%+ partisan voting record and his continued dividing of the nation and rhetoric.
“Mr. Kissy face” [Smiley?] …
… may fool or appeal to liberals who want to believe they define “centrism” or “moderation,” but Obama has hinted disturbingly at going with the lib Dems, and wiser people question how much conventional stuff he does is sincere, and how much is shiny veneer.
What really bugs me about Obama, is on many of those issues where I do side with progressives on vs Conservatives, those are the ones where Obama emulates Bush who I raked over the coals for those things.
Right now he only has one really big plus with me, and thats on the item of stem cell reasearch, he is better than Bush by far on that.
Leo — I've been a critic of Obama when he does political things (rather than attending to basic duties of his office, wherein he does just fine, as well as maybe irritating but not torturing us in press conferences, as Bush did*). I believe too often he sides with the lib Dems. But I've been listening frequently to “progressive” AM talk radio (in addition to NPR, I'm so self-corrupting with lefty stuff, aren't I?) and many “progressives” feel betrayed and are now starting to talk about Obama, the one-term President.
* I still remember one press conference he held, which I heard on the radio. Torture. Then the next thing played on the station I was listening to was a commercial for a vocabulary improvement or better speaking course or product. Not to be cruel to Dubya, but hearing that commercial right after being tortured by one of his press conferences was incredibly funny. I laughed so hard I was crying.
Ah, DLS, I wonder if all that radio listening is mellowing you.
“mellowing you”
This (The 'Moderate' Voice) is a political forum, where it's okay, when not imperative, to strike hard (especially when I'm defending myself or my position). I'm more mellow in person, in the non-political-Website world, where it's not almost 24-7 political or otherwise contentious.
The far left talk radio is welcome as well as entertaining and at times, instructive. Much is wacky, but once in a while there's something pressed by those sources that is worthwhile (and neglected or avoided by other parties). Propagandistic material, smarm queens, and all, I also value NPR, too. And it beats what's often on the radio instead when outside of the largest metro areas, places remote enough they don't even have Limbaugh or lower-tier righty talkers because the stations can't afford this stuff. (It's convalescent home music, hard-core religion, and sometimes “Dr. Laura” in addition to sports radio from major metro areas far away, at nighttime on AM.)
You are right (correct), I love those NPR stories not even mentioned elsewhere.
For instance, I hear they might try to interview the German Shepard dog from Montana that KK was kind enough to provide a story about here on TMV.
” those NPR stories not even mentioned elsewhere”
That goes for farther-lefty talk radio, too. Plus, I like Ed Schultz and his plain talk and willingness to raise the volume when and where it matters, as part of political commentary.
Side note: A lot of the lefties on the air are doing soul-searching and expressing Real Concern right now about Obama…probably the most interesting viewpoint to consider right now.