As much as I'd like to cut loose and seek some comfort by writing a fun, apolitical diary full of cats, rainbows and unicorn farts, I just can't do it today. I'd like to see if I can do my part in alleviating some of the tension on this site as some of its users are in full-on panic mode and are consequently saying some very foolish things.
There's quite a few things wrong with the now commonly held assumption that Obama is "moving to the center." Some people say he's doing the politically expedient thing and selling we lefties down the river. Still others insist he was never that progressive to begin with, and has always been a centrist Democrat.
First of all, a person's political ideology is hard to identify in the first place because it's so very subjective. One person's center is another person's far-left.
Second, how is it that we Kossacks, who are normally so sharp when it comes to detecting a manufactured media outrage story, are suddenly so credulous? Are we now listening to the very serious people who are telling us that our nominee is moving to the center?
And finally, even as we ask ourselves whether Obama is moving to the center, he is continuing to fight for progressive ideas -- even though we may not notice it in our current state of limp-noodle mumbling and hem-hawing.
Problem No. 1 with "Obama's move to the center."
"The center" is not an agreed-upon term. Everyone has their own idea of what the center is, and mine does not necessarily match yours.
This is a relative standard we're fighting over. Take me for instance. Political Compass puts me at a score of (-7, -7), which makes me pretty far to the left. Some of you may be even further out, and still others will be closer to what might be called the center.
Where I live, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this makes me a hard-left commie-pinko fag. If I packed up and moved to Berkeley, California, people would be chasing me down the street yelling, "Fascist!" I'm exaggerating of course, but the point is that it's all situational. How you view Obama's position is entirely dependent on your starting-off point.
We have all types of people here on Daily Kos, as recent discussions on the death penalty and gun control serve to illustrate. But still, people are treating the "center" as though it had an agreed-upon definition, when it means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I don't think anyone has the same idea of what the center is.
Problem No. 2 with "Obama's move to the center."
It's a manufactured media controversy. The press is busy trying to prove to the Sean Hannitys of the world that they are not in the tank for Obama.
Remember the Charlie Gibson/George Stephanopoulous "debate" with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama? Many of you correctly surmised that the debate's format and lines of questioning were designed by the media to prove a single point -- that they were not cheerleaders for Obama.
Let me tell you something about the American media or which I am a part. When we are criticized as biased, there is a tendency to overcompensate. So, like a driver on a slick, icy road, we jerk the wheel of coverage violently into the opposite direction. Barack Obama, both then and now, is being sideswiped.
Of course, at that time, they were attempting to paint him as a radical who was out of step with Middle America. This is as opposed to today, where they are wondering out loud whether Obama is just another politician trying to veer to the center in the hopes of snatching up more votes.
Problem No. 3 with "Obama's move to the center."
He's continuing to advocate for progressive ideas. Just yesterday when many people around here were busy hand-wringing, Obama publicly opposed any challenges to California's gay marriage policies.
There is nothing at all wrong with criticism of our candidate, so long as it's respectful, polite, and not unnecessarily inflammatory. In a recent diary, I had a bone to pick with Obama over what I considered to be several campaign missteps over the treatment of Muslim-American voters.
But when I wrote that, I did it with full knowledge of Obama's flaws and shortcomings. It would be silly of me not to expect all kinds of disagreements with Obama and his campaign. Indeed, I fully anticipated that he would let me down, both before and after he takes the White House back for Democrats.
Even as we cajole and kick tires, we have to give credit where it is due, and congratulate our nominee for the things he does right. We must point out our disagreements and our agreements with equal enthusiasm. This is a people-powered campaign, and it thrives or dies based on the quality of our involvement. Barack Obama needs our help and our direction, smart cookie though he is.
Conclusion: Even if Obama is moving to the center, he's still a center-left candidate that many center-right people could vote for.
I am fully prepared to admit that everything I've written prior to this conclusion is totally wrong. Let's say Obama really is a centrist, moving his campaign in a rightward direction.
Consider where our country is right now, and how deeply its people are hurting after 7.5 years of failed-by-design GOP mismanagement and entropy -- that sneering Bushite contempt for accountability and good government. After all this and more, would a president who governs from anything resembling anyone's idea of a political center really be that bad?
I certainly don't think so. And as much as I don't like using George W. Bush and the Republicans to make my final point, I still think it's something worth considering as we think about what direction we want this country heading towards in the future.
Barack Obama is a solid leftie by most people's measures, and even he is moderating some of his stances, he's still poised to be a progressive leader that even some non-progressives could be happy voting for.