I follow US politics, but not in great detail. So I don't have a really strong opinion one way or other on Obama's performance as pres. Part of me looks at it "pragmatically" - what are you gonna do, vote Romney? On the other hand, I can see the frustration from a liberal-lefty point of view.

So it seems to me that Bill Maher gets it right in his description in this interview with Piers Morgan. I mean, obviously only a political moron would seriously consider Obama a socialist, but even calling him liberal is a stretch?

(Go to 5 mins in to cut to the Obama comments.)

[Click here if the video doesn't play.]

What's fair to say about Obama is that he's the most liberal President the country's had since at least Jimmy Carter and he's achieved the greatest liberal policy successes in at least that same period of time, if not longer. Granted, that's in the context of a political culture that has shifted sharply to the right, but If Maher wants to bitch about that he can start first with him and all the other people who polished Bill Clinton's knob.

Mike

There's nothing quite like the much-coveted "Thinnest Kid at Fat Camp" award.

Speak for yourself I won that fucker four years in a row!

Especially when it's awarded while the people who've stuffed Twinkies the the kids' faces every day since birth are standing around bitching about how obese they are.

Mike

So in this metaphor, people who think Obama isn't a liberal are... his parents, I guess? In some position of authority over the President of the United States? And because we've given the poor, helpless President Twinkies in the past, which he was of course (being our child) helpless to refuse, it's now no longer true to say that fat people should run their ass around the block a few times?

You should probably leave metaphors to other people, Mike. You're not very good at them.

Tell you what though, I'm curious... as long as we're defining a liberal by extremely selective comparison, who would you say had a higher number of "liberal policy successes?" Barack Obama or Richard Nixon?

Not a rhetorical question. Honestly want to know.

He sounds like a liberal to me. Supporting gay marriage, not wanting to enforce every single drug law, pushing for healthcare reform.

Michael Savage and others would often say George W. wasn't a true conservative because of all his spending and his guest worker deal for illegal immigrants.

Plus, it looks good to moderates and voters who have some conservative leanings, for a big liberal to claim Obama is not that liberal. Makes him to appear even more moderate.

His position on gay marriage is that he personally supports it, but thinks it should be left to a state-by-state decision... which puts him slightly to the right of Dick Cheney on the issue. He brought the federal Hammer of God down on California medical marijuana dispensaries, and pushed for a private-industry-based healthcare reform that was originally promoted by Bob Dole, the Heritage Foundation, and - of course - Mitt Romney.

I'm not really sure why any of that sounds like a liberal to you.

I read the Log Cabin Republicans putting that spin on it as well.




What positions do you have to hold in the US to be considered liberal?

I see your problem. You're confusing "spin" with "an accurate description of his policies."

However, I'm nothing if not fairminded. If you think I'm misrepresenting the President's actions and positions, please... feel free to explain how.



In modern America? You apparently only have to enact as many conservative and Republican policies as possible, BUT... and I can't stress this enough... you have to occasionally sigh in frustration. That makes it a liberal policy success!

Seriously, though... Obama's entire administration has been marked by one long assumption that taxes and regulations kill jobs, spending should be cut in a recession, and private industry can always do any given job better than a government agency. There's a phrase for someone who subscribes to that philosophy: a Reagan Republican.

Also, he assassinates people. I seem to remember that sort of thing upsetting Democrats. Once, as if in a distant dream.