[quote=briansd1]What bothers most of the Republicans is that they call Obama socialist and radical. That shows how right-wing radical Republicans have become.
As pointed out by Allan himself, Obama is a centrist president. The Democratic party has moved to the right, to the dissappointment of many long time Democrats.
I’ve asked Republicans what’s so radical about Obama and they always mention the bailouts. But those bailouts were Bush’s doing. Other than that they can’t think of anything radical.
I’ve talk to people from the South. What’s really radical is his race.[/quote]
Brian: Strawmen abound. You use terms like “most” or “many”, but, in truth, these are just generalizations or stereotypes.
Just like saying you’ve spoken to the people in the South. Whom, exactly, and where? I deal with Southerners in my business, as well as Westerners, those from the Middle West and the Eastern seaboard. I’d suggest you speak to some people in the Raleigh-Durham tech triangle, or outside the research centers in Florida, Alabama and Georgia or Silicon Gulch in Austin, TX. My point is this: There are plenty of ignorant, bigoted people everywhere in the US, not just the South. You might opine that MORE of them reside in the South, but I believe your bias against the “redneck culture” has blinded you to certain realities, just as much as your bias against conservatives has led you to believe the GOP is somehow marching into oblivion.
I have nothing against Obama. As I’ve opined previously, I think he’s a likeable cat and obviously highly intelligent. He is, however, in over his head, just as his predecessor was. The world has changed rapidly in the last 20 years and our government and political class has failed to catch up and, most important, has failed in their mission to create the best environment for America to compete.
Whether it’s a failure of will to reform taxes and entitlements, or confront the looming specter of the true costs (economic as well as social/cultural) of the welfare state, or restrain the worst impulses of Big Money, Big Oil, Big Labor and the Military-Industrial-Prison Complex or to protect, at all costs, our most important rights and liberties, we’ve been sold down the river by BOTH parties.
Obama simply represents the latest in a long line of presidents willing to bend us collectively over the table whilst gently whispering some pabulum about all being well and, not to worry, the big Nanny State will take care of everything as it takes over everything (see “Life of Julia”.) It won’t and it can’t and we’re watching as the whole thing starts to unravel right before our eyes.
