Hillary proved it: Pandering to "the middle" is a loser's strategy

[DeadElephant_ORG]

Democratic voters want a leader who will FIGHT the RIGHT!

[YOY]

1. Actually Obama does that too

Just stating the obvious...

both are competant individuals mind you...

[Cameron27]

2. I think the same thing.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

3. Obama is mr middle man

people are clearly not paying attention to the details.
Obama is getting a huge boost from the cult of celebrity.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

11. Hillary VOTED FOR THE WAR to pander to the middle

[YOY]

12. and Obama never had the chance to when the moment mattered

He simply wasn't in the game then.

[readmoreoften]

26. Yeah. I didn't vote for the Patriot Act or the IWR either. I think I should be President.

I didn't vote for ANY of this stuff. And my verbal record is 100% progressive for my whole life!

[Radical Activist]

25. Obama maintains progressive values and makes them appeal to everyone.

Clinton changes her values and positions to appeal to everyone. There's a big, big difference.

[readmoreoften]

27. Obama talks platitudes and doesn't show up for votes. He's a centrist at best.

And the right likes him because he's always scolding progressives about how awful they are.

[Radical Activist]

28. Your meme lacks substance.

Obama has the MOST progressive record of the top three candidates. Far better than Edwards. Some people's tortured, thin-skinned interpretations of Obama's speeches doesn't make the man a moderate.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

29. brilliantly stated. thank you.

[wyldwolf]

4. I think you just revealed what you DON'T know about Obama.

[Richardo]

5. In the primary, maybe.

In the general, not.

[goodhue]

6. But it worked for Obama

:shrug:

[maddiejoan]

7. I guess Obama proved

Pandering to "the middle" is a winner's strategy?

:shrug:

[ingac70]

8. Obama does that too. n/t.

[Brotherjohn]

9. Yes. I firmly believe that the reason Congress's approval ratings are...

... as bad as or worse than W's is NOT because people like them as little as W, but because they believe they are not doing ENOUGH to fight W and the right.

Congress as a whole has been pandering to the middle, when they were elected to shift the country to the LEFT (despite the media's characterization to the contrary starting immediately after the election; hell, BEFORE).

[jgraz]

10. The problem with Hillary is she's running Bill's campaign from 92

And there's no Ross Perot to save her ass this time.

[Cha]

32. Change? hillary's

not about change..status quo is hillary's motto.

[Bitwit1234]

13. Obama proving that he made good use of Oprah's money did it for him

If Hillary had bussed in 100,000 students to vote for her, Obama wouldn't have gotten the nod. And Obama doesn't pander to the middle, he panders to anything and anybody with what they want to hear...

No matter what you say I will never forgive him for flaming Ted Kennedy. Obama would not have the chance to run for president today if it had not been for Ted Kennedy, Ted Kennedy who has done more for Civil Rights than any senator in congress. Telling him he is too old. And calling Al Gore and John Kerry who really WON THEIR BID FOR PRESIDENT but had it stolen from them dividers. The little pipsqueak is the biggest divider and rabble yest rabble raiser this country has ever seen and he is going to pay for his slanders of better men than he. Just you wait and see. If the republican MSM didn't want him to win to give the victory to the republicans he would be deluged with all the shit he has spewed.

[Beacool]

23. I agree with you on Ted Kennedy.

Obama is almost my same age, but I found very offensive his comments about Ted and his derogatory remarks about the 60s. Obama wouldn't even be able to run for president if it hadn't been for people like Ted and all the others who fought, and in some cases even died, to advance the cause of civil rights in this country. I have the utmost respect for people like Ted, the Clintons and the others who paved my way as a woman to achieve goals that were almost impossible to achieve if I had been born in a different decade.

Shame on Obama for flaming Ted and shame on him for dissing the only Democratic president to be reelected since FDR!!!!

Check Ted, Hillary and Bill's record of decades of service. You can even start with January's GQ article on Bill and see what this remarkable man has done to serve humanity since he left office. Obama? He's not even remotely in their league.

[stray cat]

14. I don't thinks its the stance on an issue - more personal preference

by voters. Obama and Clinton don't differ that dramatically on issues as getting into the war in Iraq is past.

[TwilightZone]

15. Seemed to work for Obama.

He's running a lot closer to the middle than many would like. I suspect that should he win, he'll govern left of his campaign position.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

18. I agree with you to some degree

His rhetoric is someway to the middle, his record and position tho is quite to the left

[TwilightZone]

20. Campaigning and governing are two different things, of course.

Campaign in the middle, govern on the left is pretty standard for Democratic politicians. At least for those that win elections.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

21. obviously

Its just that to me it seems like a lot of people claim Obama is centrist due to the fact his rhetoric is centrist

[TwilightZone]

22. Happens to a lot of Democrats.

Democrats are labeled centrist or Bush-lite pretty much any time that they make a statement that makes them appear to be anywhere to the right of Gandhi.

[closeupready]

16. YES. Absolutely.

n/t

[Silent3]

17. Actually, pandering to the middle is a winning strategy...

...as long as you hold off on doing that until the general election. You play to the base in the primaries, then try not to be caught looking like too much of a hypocrite when you pull the switch for the general.

At least that's the correct approach from a completely cynical viewpoint. :evilgrin:

[lumberjack_jeff]

19. It's a winner in the primary too, if in republicans vote in it. n/t

[JanErikM]

24. Agreed, and...

Agreed, and my impression is that Clinton is the only candidate that the Republicans fear. Or to be more accurate: "the Clinton smear machine".

[sandnsea]

30. Obama doesn't pander to anybody

He says what he thinks and THE REST OF THE COUNTRY AGREES.

Read his speech on the Iraq War and then tell me he panders.

[dailykoff]

31. earlier today you posted a chart of Obama's state legislation

I was just looking for. Do still you have that link handy? Thanks!

[sandnsea]

33. Here ya go

FrenchieCat posted the entire Iraq War speech. While I probably wouldn't have agreed with him at the time, looking back now, it was really a courageous speech. If you see her thread, be sure and click and read. :hi:

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2007/07/29/us/politics/20070730_OBAMA_GRAPHIC.html

[dailykoff]

34. Yep that's the one!

Thanks! :hi:

[DeadElephant_ORG]

35. no one here has even tried to cliam "she does FIGHT the RIGHT!"

interesting, no?