[A-List] expressing the President's centrist views.

[Tony B.]

My off-the-cuff impression of Obama is that, far from simply wishing to 
'balance all views', he is simply a very weak character; blown from stem to 
stern by every passing political wind...but always with a steady tidal drift 
towards reactionary imperialism - and WWIII. No Kennedy or Roosevelt, he.

Tony


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "james daly" <james.irldaly at ntlworld.com>
To: <a-list at lists.econ.utah.edu>
Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 6:02 AM
Subject: [A-List] expressing the President's centrist views.


> Suzanne -- interesting comment (reformatted) on the new centrism. I wrote 
> to
> a friend recently:
>
> Anyone who supported Obama for Pres did not watch his lips: he made it
> absolutely clear that his main aim was to have a Lincolnian-style 
> government
> of "unity" with Republicans.
>
> **********************
>
> I guess the flack got to be too much for Press Secretary Gibbs. He sure
> makes a lot of gaffes or are they? I wonder if it is the pressure of the 
> job
> or if he is just expressing the President's centrist views.
>
> I have tried to understand that viewpoint. It is one that wants to balance
> all the viewpoints and to take a perspective that is not on the right or
> left.
>
> The unfortunate thing is that the media has spun the country so far to the
> right that reasonable positions from what was once a liberal agenda such 
> as
> single payer health reform, lowering defense spending and increased 
> spending
> to stimulate jobs in the economy are simply disregarded as if they are 
> wacky
> positions. It is as if moderate proposals such as these and asking for 
> some
> movement on climate control legislation and more funding for green jobs or
> immigration reform are way out there on the fringe.
>
> Based on that conception the new center is questioning climate control
> legislation for fear of pissing off industry, waffling on immigration
> reform, an insurance industry run health care reform with their advocates
> making the policy, continued war in Afghanistan and a continued commitment
> to Iraq and support for Israel.
>
> What is the new right? Repealing the 14th amendment, bombing Iran and
> Pakistan, increasing support for Israel, privatizing social security and
> medicare, outsourcing almost all government functions or eliminating every
> department except Defense, Treasury and the Attorney General's Office,
> lowering the capital gains tax and instituting a flat 10% income tax.
>
> The left isn't even on the agenda here. Where do you see the 35 hour work
> week, 6 weeks paid vacations, free medical care, free or subsidized 
> housing,
> free university education, or cost of living indexed welfare and massive
> reduction of military spending in line with what Europeans spend?
> You don't unless you consider the bailouts for the banks and auto industry
> socialism, that is welfare for the rich.
>
> These are not even unreasonable demands, this is what many European 
> citizens
> have now.
>
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>
>