This Day In 'Center-Right' Schizophrenia

Ever since the American people flocked to the polls and pulled the lever for a change in direction, specifically toward a more progressive set of policies and principles than the ones we'd been getting under George W. Bush and were offered by John S. McCain, right-tilting pundits have fallen all over themselves to insist that the United States remains some sort of "center-right" nation - this despite the fact that positions they once advertised as "extreme," like ending the Bush tax cuts and withdrawing from Iraq, are now, quite clearly, embraced fully as mainstream positions.

Nevertheless, the rightward chatterers prattle on. Matt Yglesias, who's been a two-day strong clearinghouse of push-back on the center-right myth, compiles this video of people insisting on the conventional wishful thinking.

Of course, none of this explains how the Obama got to be the candidate who, in Karl Rove's words, "smartly and wisely ran a campaign" that emphasized how center-right everyone was, TWO DAYS after being branded far and wide as a socialist radical. Alan Colmes actually called Karl Rove out on this!

ROVE: Let's make it clear: He ran a center-right campaign. He said -

COLMES: Center-right? He was accused of being a radical socialist.

ROVE: Well, if you dug in.

Unfortunately, Hannity interrupts with some blather, so we never get to learn precisely how many licks it takes to go from the hard radical Communist lollipop shell to the chewy center-right goodness inside (or vice-versa - it's sort of hard to follow!) and that's too bad! The answer would have likely been the "cold fusion" of political science. Ultimately, though, it sort of leaves you with the impression that...sorta...Karl Rove...maybe...doesn't really have a gollydarned clue what he's talking about!

For my money, though, the one guy more out of touch than all the Mynah Birds of the Center-Right is Joe Lieberman. Back when his GOP friends were prevailing against radical community organizers, he was on stage at the Republican National Convention telling the audience that "Senator Barack Obama is a gifted and eloquent young man who I think can do great things for our country in the years ahead." Two days ago, as those same GOP pals started polishing their best "center-right" arguments in advance of a certain McCain defeat, Lieberman was tacking in the opposite direction, telling Glenn Beck that he had a "fear" that America "would not survive" if the Democrats succeeded on Election Day. Now today, he doesn't seem to know what he wants to do. At this point, I have no idea who Lieberman should be caucusing with! Maybe it's time he went on home, to caucus with himself.

Comments

[scadabout]

oh, I just want the President-Elect to be himself for a few days.....h­e earned it.

[pixy242a]

I would like to see some serious pushback to this from prominent Libs to this in the Media, before it starts being accepted as CW. The Reps have an Orwellian 'genius' for framing issues. It has to stop.

[strifeknot]

The conservatives don't have to worry, O is a Clintonian neoliberal who will bend over backwards to appease his corporate masters just as Bill did.

[Seldon]

Like who? Can you name some? One of the incredible things about Obama is that his organization was almost entirely grassroots. Most of his money came from regular people averaging $88 donations.

[totalliberal]

The Republican party has a lock on conservatism. Conservatism by definitions abhors change. Ergo they won't change. Nice huh?

[g4dualie]

All of these political talking heads attempting to define President-elect Obama with their teflon-averse schema are making about as much sense as the tech industry analysts who think Apple can't, and will never do anything right, because they're using the wrong OS.

The analysts & talking heads were tortured into thinking there is only one way to do things. The world is learning just how powerful it is to not only think different, but act different too.

As long as the smallest market-share of people in the nation control the largest share of power, wealth and happiness are meaningless.

I do believe we are a center-right nation with left-leaning tendencies.

Me? I'm a clean, decent, hard-working man who loves the ladies almost as much as he does single-malt scotch and I take both to excess.

I am most fortunate that I will never have to work another day in my life but it isn't money that keeps me afloat, anyway. It's the laughter. I, like most impoverished americans, have gone for so long without, that I can accomplish anything with nothing.

As long as I can afford my scotch, I'm happy. Pass the biscuits, please.

[radiclib]

.
.
Isn't it funny that Hannity has ignored the Republican mud fight over Palin?
Especially since Hannity was her main media pimp?
C'mon, Sean. We're waiting to hear ``I'm gonna tell ya' somethin'.­''
Speak up! What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?
.
.

[killpack]

Sean Hannity is just doing what the liberal media did during the Clinton-Obama rift. Come on, people. This is just a smoke and mirrors, non issue. Republican AND Democrat politicians are trying to screw us over right now while they get us to argue over petty issues. What about real issues, like our economy going down the toilet. I thought that was what this election was about. Republicans AND Democrats are destroying it. Stop them!

[contemporarymom]

I hear ya, first it was the war - lets not forget how Nancy Pelosi and her team were gonna come in an clean house and bring our troops home - then they got the job and back peddled.

Now its the economy and Obama has to remind everyone that fixing it wont happen over night - which any logical thinking person would realize - and yet thats all he tells us and we are suppose to be fine with that?

The media likes of Cnn and NBC would rather talk about Palin's wardrobe than begin to review Obama's performance and gasp might have to report on any misstep he will make.

[EyeballKid]

The word "Democrat" is a noun and cannot be used as a modifier of another noun, "politicians". The proper way to modify "politicians" in this case is to use the adjective, "Democratic".

DeLay and Gingrich led the way toward poor use of this noun as a modifier so that they could emphasized the "rat" in Democrat. (I suppose that this is what neurolinguistic programming can look like when it's used as a neo-conservative marketing tool.) It's always been a political jab in the eye that's unfortunately bled over to writers of nearly all persuasions, except perhaps to people who know better.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

So Obama is a center right socialist. Talk about being all over the map.

[Myshkin57]

And, as the National Review said, he is THE MOST LIBERAL senator. Wow. So Obama is center-right AND he's more liberal than Bernie Sanders, the rightwing socialist.

[zanbama]

The real Barack Obama is now the President Elect if you didn't know you better go ask somebody!

[CarolW2]

Wonder how old Murdoch is fairing with the economic crisis and his ratings are down and he just signed those multi-million dollar contracts with Hannity and O'Reilly??????? Wouldn't it be great if advertisers stopped their buys on FAUX? And FAUX disappears to the nether reaches of cable.....­..

I can dream, can't I?

[rebelrebel]

Labels never tell the whole story. When things are going well, and conservatives are in power, more people will vote for the conservatives. When things are going well, and conservatives are in power, more people will vote for liberal candidates. And so forth.

A big part of this election was the rejection of George Bush and his policies. If Obama is unable to revive the economy, in the 2008 elections the Democrats will almost certainly lose seats.

In 1976, pundits were talking about a permanent Democratic majority. Four years later, Reagan was elected. In 2004, Rove was talking about a permanent Republican majority. Four years later, Obama was elected.

If Obama governs effectively, the voters will stick with him.

[WillCooney]

Until the GOP divest themselves of the extreme right-wing Evengelical Christo-fascists, they are going nowhere. Look at the post election map. Southern states and Mormon states. That's it! Illiterate rednecks and religious sheeple. God, guns and gays still rule the lives of these people who, at 27%, believe that GW Bush is doing a great job! Continue down that path and there will be a Democratic majority extending way into the future.

[Wiserone]

The thing is that Rush is really loosing it. He can't keep up with the Internet and bloggers who counter EVERYTHING he spews! It's really funny to hear him try so very, very hard to convince his audience now that he has been exposed that all his tricks during the campaign, Operation Chaos about Hillary, the Wright, Ayers, etc. etc. just didn't work. He really IS sounding so desparate.

[Pere]

I watched faux noos a bit to see thier reaction over the past few days- instead of moving on like the rest of the world, it's a 24/7 blame game. Can anyone tell me- are they all pathetic failures in real life, or do they just play them on television?

[CloseToTheEdge]

They truly have nothing. Black is White. Up is Down. The "most liberal Senator in the Congress" is really now "conservative". The republicans really do have sh*t for brains, and they assume the public does too.

[MsYellowDog]

I have waited almost 30 years to see the Rethuglicans forming a circular firing squad such as the only they are enacting now. It's been a long wait,and I'm enjoying every minute of it. Here's hoping Karl Rove will be the first to fall. I have been saying for a long time that he belongs in prison,not on TV.