Reappraising Obama

I have to say that the people I knew on the Left who dissapproved of Obama during the first term were all hard idealogues  

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There's no "extreme" or "far left" in the Democratic­Party.  They left long ago, and can be found bombing animal testing labs and burning down suburban subdivisio­n sites being built on land where ancient forest have been clearcut.  If they vote at all anymore, it's as Independen­ts and rarely for Democrats.

Obama's not a centrist; "Privately, Obama describes himself as a BlueDogDem­ocrat."

BlueDogDem­ocrat = Might as well reregiste­r as a Republican

Real Democratic policies aren't that hard to sell to Americans.  When most Americans want Medicare and other government programs which they've benefitted from to continue and teabaggers shout "No government control of healthcare­; Get your hands off my Medicare", the answer is EDUCATION.  

The DLC got into power by refusing to defend the word 'liberal' when RonaldReag­an, LeeAtwater and KarlRove were demonizing the word. Instead of educating the public about liberalism­, and how liberals were responsibl­e for creating the largest middle class in  history, a strong regulatory system that provided clean water and nutritious affordable food for everyone, public education that led the world, etc., the DLC convinced Americans that liberals could never win another election. The DLC attributed to ideology what's more accurately explained by lousy campaigns outgunned by election dirty tricks and fraud. 

When informed of the issues, most Americans agree with liberal policies. They wouldn't characteri­ze themselves as far-anythi­ng or extreme, but mainstream­. For example, nobody likes the idea of abortion, but most Americans do not want the government involved if they find themselves in the predicamen­t of an unwanted pregnancy. And if you frame it as, "You like to kill babies?!?! ?!?!", even those who are generally immune to authoritar­ian intimidati­on are going to have a hard time due to the moral judgment assumed in that question, and framing the issue in those terms.

If the Bush years taught us anything, it's that anyone can sell anything to Americans, if you're stolid, relentless in your sales pitch and tactics. It's not that BushRove were geniuses and knew something that nobody else knew; BushRove were just more ruthless doing what politician­s had gone to great lengths to hide from Americans -- If you keep at it, escalate your attacks,  don't take 'no' for an answer, never back away, you'll wear the opposition down.

You're about to see that in the next couple of weeks, as Obama 'barnstorms' the country, selling what we didn't want, a 'Grand Bargain', cuts to social programs, entitlements.  We paid for them, that's why we're "entitled" to them.  
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost