Politico: Obama rejects "most liberal" rating by National Journal

[ruggerson]

JH: Senator, you were ranked recently by National Journal as having the most liberal voting record as having the most liberal voting record in 2007. That prompts a question from Politico reader Don Mousch (sp.?) or Norwell (sp.), Mass. He wants to know what they liberal record should give us confidence that you can reach across the aisle and get things done in Washington.

BO: Well, first of all, not to grouse against the National Journal, but let me give you an example of why I was rated the most liberal was because I wanted an office of public integrity that stood outside of the Senate, and outside of Congress, to make sure that you’ve got an impartial eye on ethics problems inside of Congress. Now, I didn’t know that it was a liberal or Democratic issue. I thought that was a good government issue that a lot of Republicans would like to see. So that’s the problem with some of these ratings – how they score things. It uses categories that I think don’t make sense to a lot of Americans.

LH: Well, are you proud of that designation? To be known as the most liberal voting senator?

BO: I don’t think you heard what I just said, which is that the designations don’t make sense

JH: Michael Dukakis said, “Yes, I’m proud to be a liberal.” Bill Clinton said, “No we can’t cast ourselves as liberals.” Are you comfortable with the liberal label?

BO: This is what I would call old politics. This is the stuff we’re trying to get rid of. Because the problem is, when we start breaking down into conservative and liberal, and we’ve got a bunch of set predispositions, whether it’s on gun control, or its’ on health care, any attempt to do health care is socialized medicine. Any discuss about taxes ends up being, are you raising them or lowering them, as the opposed to the question I ask – are we raising them for high income individuals that can afford it, and lowering them for lower income people who really need help. Those old categories don’t work, and they’re preventing us from solving them problems.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8457_Page2.html

[Thrill]

1. Whoever the Dems nominate is going to be considered the most Liberal

This happens every election

[Mojambo]

2. I think he handled the question pretty well. n/t

[Squatch]

3. I just saw that interview.

I think it sealed my vote for him tomorrow at our VA primary.

[Kittycat]

4. He's spot on with this...

"Those old categories don’t work, and they’re preventing us from solving them problems. "

[LisaM]

5. Why is he even running as a Democrat?

Sometimes he doesn't seem very committed to the Democratic party (unless it's convenient, like appearing with Caroline Kennedy). He seems very proud of attracting the Republican vote, which I find worrisome. If he wins and becomes President, I worry that these people he wants to compromise with could chew him up and spit him out. I don't see him as being effective reversing the policies of the Bush years if he continues to try and straddle both worlds.

[Iris]

6. I'm beginning to think that as well.

Someone posted here that we don't need someone to hold a hand out to the republicans. We need someone who's willing to fight them.

[Kaylee]

7. He did a great job of keeping them from boxing him in and

labeling him. Very good answer.

[FrenchieCat]

8. He said, FUCK YOUR LABELS...........

Politics of Boxes is sooo yesterday!

GOBama!

[LisaM]

11. Fine, he can run as an Independent then

The Democratic party is the party of liberals. I am increasingly seeing himself distance himself from the party (and you can like that if you want, but this IS a forum for Democrats). I just heard a sound clip where he was laughing about a guy coming up to tell him he was a Republican and he was voting for Barack! Well fantastic! What is he doing to attract all these Republicans, I'd like to know?

I think Obama is distancing himself from the Democratic party to some degree.

[FrenchieCat]

17. Has Hillary spoken the "liberal" word to describe herself yet?

Lemme know when she does. :eyes:

[LisaM]

23. That's a good question and I'm not trying to duck it because I don't know

However, I feel that Obama is increasingly distancing himself from the Democratic party brand. He rarely mentions the accomplishments of the Democrats, the great liberals we've had, past and present, and it just generally doesn't seem to me that he's overly anxious to identify himself strongly with the Democratic party (I don't see this in Hillary).

[FrenchieCat]

24. No Hillary hasn't ever said liberal.

Obama has liberal ideals. that's good enough for me.

And he understood about this war. That's an extra plus for me.

Since he's got Barbara Lee, Tom Hayden, The Nation, and John Conyers backing his candidacy.....it means that he's liberal enough.

[BeyondGeography]

26. She called herself a "modern progressive" when she was specifically asked that question at a debate

earlier in the campaign. Which is fine.

"Librulll, librulll" is a mindless RW rallying cry. None of our candidates should play along.

[misanthrope]

30. The Democratic Party is NOT "the party of liberals"...

...it is the party of Democrats. It held George Wallace and MLK simultaneously along with Lester Maddox and Eugene McCarthy. It has contained people with a wide variety of political stances, very seldom congruous. Plenty of liberals are not Democrats and plenty of Democrats aren't liberal.

That has been a big beef with some over the years, that the party isn't progressive enough.

[nonconformist]

9. He doesn't want to be considered a liberal. Interesting. nt

[mckeown1128]

12. You won't find a democratic candidate today who would

want to be labled Liberal. It has a negative connotation after decades of Republican attacks.

[nonconformist]

19. Bullshit. nt

[mckeown1128]

27. Many Democratic strategists have said this for years...

you don't have to believe me...but that doesn't mean I am not telling the truth.

[newmajority]

10. Thom Hartmann read what criteria these National Journal dumbasses used to establish their definition

Of "liberal". It had nothing to do with actual left wing positions, but rather it was things like, for example, voting to inspect shipping containers as they come into port. In other words, practicing ACTUAL "homeland security", as opposed to bombing the shit out of whatever country PNAC tells you to.

Choosing common sense over perpetual war is something Liberals certainly believe in, but it doesn't make him Dennis Kucinich.

[xultar]

13. But I remember how excited Obama supporters were when the ratings came out...

and that he was indeed more liberal than that evil DINO Hillary.

What happened? Y'all not excited anymore?

[newmajority]

22. He's definitely more Liberal than Hillary

Hillary is a leader of the DLC. By that definition alone, she cannot be Liberal, as the DLC despises Liberals and has been trying to force us out of our party for years. And as JFK said, I'm proud to be a Liberal.

Obviously, the original article in question was a hit piece, as was the Politico article in response. How the Hell do you defend yourself against a hit piece, based on another hit piece, based on a false definition??

[xultar]

31. nope. they are pretty much the same.

[LittleClarkie]

29. I thought it was dorky from day one

They always try to make our candidates the most liberal ever, so they can beat the candidate with that should they make the general election. Kerry was support to be the most liberal in 2004.

[4themind]

14. I actually prefer the term "progressive"

if only to avoid some ambiguity with the older usage of the term, which is now referred to by some others as "classical liberalism"

[nomorewhopper]

15. lol these "ratings" are such horseshit...

honestly!

they make it so that whoever is the biggest name on the dem party is also "the most liberal". wasn't kerry the "most liberal" last time, and hillary became "the most liberal"

and then they come after them like ZOMGOD WE TOTALLY FOUND OUT YOU ARE ALL LIBERAL!!!

FUCK

THEM

[The_Casual_Observer]

16. What does he actually call "gun control" or "Health Care"

or "Raising Taxes" then? Is there some other magic name? What names are these things given in the "new politics"?

[BeyondGeography]

18. You have unwittingly demonstrated why Obama is such a strong candidate

chanting "librulll, librulll" isn't going to work with this guy because he is living proof that labels are a complete distraction. He co-sponsored a government transparency bill with Tom Coburn, perhaps the most conservative member of the Senate, and something that he was killed for in these parts, not because of the bill per se, but because he (gasp) found common ground with a wingnut. He has said repeatedly that his ethics bill was initially opposed by almost as many Democrats as Republicans, and he is now pointing out that John McCain has a better record as a reformer and on taking special interest money than Hillary Clinton.

Thanks for the PR.

[Straight Shooter]

20. Direct Question: "Are you comfortable with the liberal label?"

Typical Obama Answer: "Whoa, you aren't going to get me with that question. Let me be as evasive as I can. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah ..."

Barack wouldn't last 5 minutes under cross examination in a courtroom with that kind of tactic. Is the man even capable of answering any direct question? He is what's known as a fence-straddler.

Time for another episode of What Obama Really Meant. W.O.R.M.

[UALRBSofL]

21. Is everybody getting the picture now?

He deny's being too liberal because he needs the votes. Deny, deny, deny. True colors of Obama.

[Straight Shooter]

25. Loud and clear. Barack Obama is The Great Equivocator.

You have really got to have a lot of contempt for your audience to prattle that kind of bullshit forked-tongue nonsense.

[LittleClarkie]

28. It's a stupid designation anyway from that magazine. They picked a year

where he had less votes. His percentage is bound to come out higher.

And they chose Kerry last time as well. I suspect they'll always try to make our candidates be the most liberalest Senator ever in the history of Senators just be virtue of who they are.

[robbedvoter]

32. Precisely why I loved Clark: proud to call himself a liberal democrat

Of course, candidates like that, are sidelined by the media.

[Renew Deal]

33. Obama's correct.

And the National Journal is a right wing rag. They're trying to marginalize Obama.

[DemGa]

34. Snippy isn't he?

"I don’t think you heard what I just said, which is that the designations don’t make sense"

I believe Obama is a narcissist.