The right wing is infuriating
I'm watching the afternoon talk shows on MSNBC right now, and on the segment they had on just now they had a Republican strategist talking about the president and his policies. The guy was going on about how the public is unhappy with the president's handling of the health care debate. He was saying that this was proof that the US is "essentially a center-right nation".
Let me make something perfectly clear; while in the recent past this may have been the case (probably as recently as the start of Second Iraq War), that certainly is NOT the case now. If anything, it's a slight bit to the left of center. When polling consistantly shows healthy majorities favoring some sort of government plan for health care, and that support for same-sex marriages now over 40% and in a virtual tie with opposition (and about 10% undecided), I find it incredibly difficult to find any sort of "center-right" sentiment in this country. They're at best indifferent on our various wars, if not opposed to them, there is majority support for a woman's right to choose to abort a pregnancy in the first trimester and in certain cases such as health of the mother or rape or incest, there are the aforementioned social positions, and the country surely doesn't seem terribly "center-right".
Yet, this tool was on MSNBC talking about how the American public is frustrated with President Obama. He was saying that it was because the president was trying to change things too much and too fast and he trotted out the "center-right nation" line. He said that the public was upset that the president promised "change" in the way that Washington worked, and then has governed without getting Republican support. The smug was oozing off the guy. But fortunately the hosts and the Huffington Post columnist that were on at the same time were correcting him with the facts. More Americans trust the president to handle the economy, health care and the wars in Asia than trust the Republicans to do so. That the president has reached out to the Republicans on the health care issue and the only one that was willing to work with him and the Democrats in Congress was Olympia Snowe, and then only if the completely extracted all teeth from the reform efforts. That in order for the president to govern in a bipartisan manner it would require a willing partner in the Republicans; something that he hasn't had.
If the US were a "center right" country, the polling would be showing different numbers on the issues than it does. The frustration with the president is that he's putting off the things he promised to put through because he has been trying to get Republican support, and the Republicans are holding out on him. They're upset because he is willing to throw away the policy he campaigned on because he's scared of upsetting the 20% of Americans who still identify as Republicans. And any Republican who thinks that this country is "center-right" at this point in history is looking only at the Southeast and not the country as a whole. But, I suppose, when that's where your party's power base is, and when there's little support for your platform outside of that region, then there's really no need to look at the country outside of that region. Not unless you want to be a national party again; one that has some sort of relevance outside of the region where you exist.
Let me make something perfectly clear; while in the recent past this may have been the case (probably as recently as the start of Second Iraq War), that certainly is NOT the case now. If anything, it's a slight bit to the left of center. When polling consistantly shows healthy majorities favoring some sort of government plan for health care, and that support for same-sex marriages now over 40% and in a virtual tie with opposition (and about 10% undecided), I find it incredibly difficult to find any sort of "center-right" sentiment in this country. They're at best indifferent on our various wars, if not opposed to them, there is majority support for a woman's right to choose to abort a pregnancy in the first trimester and in certain cases such as health of the mother or rape or incest, there are the aforementioned social positions, and the country surely doesn't seem terribly "center-right".
Yet, this tool was on MSNBC talking about how the American public is frustrated with President Obama. He was saying that it was because the president was trying to change things too much and too fast and he trotted out the "center-right nation" line. He said that the public was upset that the president promised "change" in the way that Washington worked, and then has governed without getting Republican support. The smug was oozing off the guy. But fortunately the hosts and the Huffington Post columnist that were on at the same time were correcting him with the facts. More Americans trust the president to handle the economy, health care and the wars in Asia than trust the Republicans to do so. That the president has reached out to the Republicans on the health care issue and the only one that was willing to work with him and the Democrats in Congress was Olympia Snowe, and then only if the completely extracted all teeth from the reform efforts. That in order for the president to govern in a bipartisan manner it would require a willing partner in the Republicans; something that he hasn't had.
If the US were a "center right" country, the polling would be showing different numbers on the issues than it does. The frustration with the president is that he's putting off the things he promised to put through because he has been trying to get Republican support, and the Republicans are holding out on him. They're upset because he is willing to throw away the policy he campaigned on because he's scared of upsetting the 20% of Americans who still identify as Republicans. And any Republican who thinks that this country is "center-right" at this point in history is looking only at the Southeast and not the country as a whole. But, I suppose, when that's where your party's power base is, and when there's little support for your platform outside of that region, then there's really no need to look at the country outside of that region. Not unless you want to be a national party again; one that has some sort of relevance outside of the region where you exist.