Water Abuse

The New Fear, from The Corner. Fortunately I can comfort the inmates, in manner of genial, compassionate chaplain or similar.

I was just chatting this over with Jonah. If Obama is elected, won't we have our most left-wing government ever?

No.

On the face of it this would be the most left-wing government ever, no?

No.

Am I missing something?

Yes indeed you are, Mr. Scarecrow.

Obama is a centrist on key issues like relatively minor forms of market regulation, leaving Roe alone, and a less messed-up heathcare system. Polls consistently show that on most issues the country is to the left of Obama. But this is what happens when you give Internet access to a bunch of clowns who think "don't start that stupid war" is the same thing as Marxism.

Your 21st-Century Intellectual Conservative Movement: red-baiting, race-baiting, masturbating. Fwap fwap fwap indeed.

(For the record I'd be delighted if Obama were more progressive.)

Comments

[MKS]

Whether one is pro-life or pro-choice, he should consider the facts. After looking at the origin of the case, the merits of the deliberations, the logical linkage to the Constitution, and the effects of the ruling, one must conclude:

Roe v. Wade was truly a landfill decision.

It should be remembered as such.

[caliph garrett]

If you were truly aware of all Internet Traditions, the correct echoism is fap.

[Gus]

Obama is Goldwater compared to that old socialist Harry Truman.

[Ripley]

I was just chatting this over with Jonah.

Well, there's your first mistake, Rich.

[rea]

Obama is Goldwater compared to that old socialist Theodore Roosevelt.

[rea]

After looking at the origin of the case, the merits of the deliberations, the logical linkage to the Constitution, and the effects of the ruling, one must conclude . . .

MKS, I'm not really in the mood to debate elementary constitutional law with amateurs tonight, so I'll just point out that you are so full of it your eyes are turning brown.

[Thers]

If you were truly aware of all Internet Traditions, the correct echoism is fap.

The extra "W" is for "Value."

[zhak]

I'd like someone to do a comparison between the general positions of, say, Nixon, and Obama. Sure, Obama (hopefully) lacks Nixon's extreme paranoia & certain other quirky little foibles, but on policy matters, I would hazard there's more that's common ground than not.

Imagine Bush suggesting something like the EPA, you know?

I find this depressing. I've always thought I was pretty much middle of the road in my political beliefs. It's only been the last 12 years or so that I've grown to realize that actually I'm a flaming commie pinko bastard. Funny thing is, I haven't really changed my views much. Some growing up, some minor refinements, but the core beliefs remain the same.

It's inexplicable.

[Kevin Hayden]

Obama has massive Jewish support. Also, Nixon had no jump shot.

[Jeff R.]

Nixon had to work with a Democratic congress. Plus the progressive legislation that happened during the Nixon administration had fairly broad support. It was more cynical on his part: he wanted the credit not Congress. Certainly Nixon was more pragmatic, at least in terms of what would get votes, than ideological.

[Mike G]

Every election the magical-thinking gullible rightards declare the Dem presidential candidate to be the "most liberal" whatever.

So Obama is now the "most liberal senator", even though four years ago they were hyperventilating that Kerry was "the most liberal senator", and Kerry is still in the Senate.

Before that, Gore was the "most liberal politican", and Clinton was the "most liberal governor" in 1992, as was Dukakis in 1988.

You'd have to be Charlie Brown expecting Lucy to hold the football to fall for this shite that many times.

[cebm]

zhac-same thing for me. My opinions haven't changed but hey, I'm just an old DFH.

[QuiltWoman]

Wow, Mike, those Freepers certainly do have short-term memories!

[Pere Ubu]

those Freepers certainly do have short-term memories!

It's all that Cheeto dust and Boraxo they snort.

[jjcomet]

I'd send Lowry an email, but he's spam-filtered my email address. It seems he really is as thin-skinned as he comes across in his WATB posts, Afraid to interact with the proles...

[megisi]

I thought he was #3.

[Heh]

I'd like someone to do a comparison between the general positions of, say, Nixon, and Obama. Sure, Obama (hopefully) lacks Nixon's extreme paranoia & certain other quirky little foibles, but on policy matters, I would hazard there's more that's common ground than not.

MILTON FRIEDMAN On Richard Nixon:

Nixon was the most socialist of the presidents of the United States in the 20th century.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/minitextlo/int_miltonfriedman.html#8

Obama is pretty close to some of The Chicago Boys. We could dig up Milty and see what he says. In any case, Obama is not a 20th Century preznit and never will be.

[The Raven]

Yes, Obama's very moderate and he's running a very centrist campaign. He's well short of the explosive populism McCain occasionally disgorges.

In the Five Stages of Grief, conservative republicans seem to be entering "acceptance" now that they understand the election is, basically, over.

[artokosan]

Isn't EVERY Democratic candidate for president "the most liberal ever?" Give it a rest, guys.

[Stitch]

I've often wondered how some of the other senators feel about this. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Socialist, for example. Does he get jealous when people call Obama the most liberal senator ever?

[drp]

I guess they've never heard of Lyndon Johnson, the most socially conscious president in our history. FDR's New Deal was in response to a crisis, the Great Society was in response to the prevasive poverty LBJ witnessed his entire life in rural areas of America.

A year ago Hillary Clinton was the "most liberal Senator". Before that it was Kerry, Gore, etc. Someone even said it about Biden, I guess they can't get it straight. Wow, what do you know? Something else the Right got Wrong.

[actor212]

(For the record I'd be delighted if Obama were more progressive.)

Was that you walking behind me this morning while I was talking to myself, Thers?

I was pondering the remarkable shift to the middle of Obama's rhetoric after he had all but sewed up the nomination, as part of an effort to understand why I backed Hillary over him.

I really wish he had been more like Edwards than Clintonian. I might have been in his camp from the get-go.

[actor212]

It's only been the last 12 years or so that I've grown to realize that actually I'm a flaming commie pinko bastard.

Oh so it's YOU that's giving the rest of us a bad reputation!

[Dave]

Obama is a centrist? Wow!! He has you fooled.

[teh l4m3]

Agreed, zhak & others. I'd also hasten to add that this country is ready for a new New Deal, or another Great Society. Obama has yet to truly grasp just how bad things are, and just how bad they're about to get. But he will, eventually. And I'm confident that, corporate media and the right wing wurlitzer notwithstanding, we the people will succeed in pushing him at least a little more to the left on the issues that are important to us, soon after he takes office.

[Robert Earle]

What I find amazing is that the Democratic Party *always* seems to manage to nominate the guy with "the most liberal voting record is Congress!".

In 2004, that was Kerry, as we were told. Then, between 2004 and now, somehow Obama passed him. And damned if we didn't nominate him!

[bartkid]

>>If you were truly aware of all Internet Traditions, the correct echoism is fap.

>The extra "W" is for "Value."

"Fwap"?

[actor212]

>The extra "W" is for "Value."

"Fwap"?

FWIW, yes.

[John McCain, Navel Avaitor]

Ooooooo -- he wants to make a fwap?!? I'm gonna get dat wabbit, my fwiends!