The media got the entire moving to center thing wrong

[SpartanDem]

The media talked for weeks about Obama moving to the center, a NY Times headline this week blared "Obama to Press Centrist Agenda", the meme was that the SOTU speech was to be the culmination of this move to the center. Instead, this speech was about pulling the center toward us, Obama talked about progressive economic policies not in terms of lofty, societal goals, but as good business. Like ending oil subsidies and investing in clean energy there was no fire and brimstone about putting evil, polluting corporations out of business. He talked about it as being key our economic future and broadened the appeal to people who otherwise might not care about the environment.

The most brilliant thing Obama did was stealing GOP boiler plate issues that typically are used against us like regulation and talking about them on OUR TERMS. Talking less regulation is something that we just don't do, indeed progressive media outlets raked Obama over the coals for his EO.

Obama's Deregulation Dance With Wall Street
http://www.thenation.com/blog/157884/obamas-deregulation-dance-wall-street

Even though it stressed the need to protect safety and environment, it runs completely counter to what we think a liberal Democrat should say. Clearly any talk about lessening regulation must be a giveaway to big business, right?. But Obama's speech countered that it is liberals who understand regulatory balance, not Republicans. Some may ask why do we want talk about less regulation anyway? If we show people that liberals can get rid of unneeded regulation it will build support and public trust about adding needed ones. That will contrast to the extremist approach that Republicans take.

Tweety said this was a Jack Kennedy speech, I disagree this was Ronald Reagan. Old prune face was so successful, because he sold conservative polices as centrist Obama took that script and flipped it beautifully. Obama has said more than once admired Reagan's style and his ability to sell his agenda(though on many on DU simply read it as Obama...admire... Reagan :grr:) and that was very evident the approach he took.

[RandomThoughts]

1. What people that give in are doing is conceeding media control over the population.

However to make the statement about any individual would be assuming what they are doing is accurately reported by the media. However I know they have not corrected the beer and travel money due to me, so they must be paying something else that is not on my side.

The media has programed the population to follow bad policies. Although there are many good people in media also.

So instead of fighting them, he goes with them on the principle that is what the population wants. He is not fighting for causes, he is finding winning causes. And those causes are presumed winning because a few people will pay for media and groups to not fight against him if he does those things, or pay for people to go against him if he does not push for better policies.

A tax cut for the rich is pathetic at best, closer to a joke, and a condemnation of that system from any view other then, 'if you can take it must be yours' anarchy.

The problem is 'the system' that is setting the narratives on that issue is wrong on many of those issues, and without someone fighting on those issues, they wont learn that.

Unless things go snap and they all wake up at once, then there will be no saving any part of the system, and it would be crash at bottom of spiral.


Basically much of what is done by many people is some of the ways to look at this song, and pretty sad actually, but they got beer and travel money don't they.


Burnin' For You - Blue Oyster Cult
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo2Aypi0R2c


There is also a good way to see that song.

[Dr Fate]

4. Centrist Democrats have never met a media frame that they wont pretend to agree with.

Or maybe they are not even pretending?

In 2000 it was: "You say the election was stolen? Sorry, the media does not frame it that way. We have to pretend it was not stolen. Sorry."

In 2002 it was: "No WMDS in Iraq?" Sorry, I the media does not say that, so neither will I. In fact, I'll vote "yes" to wage an endless, trillion dollar war based on this framing."

In 2011 it was: "Voters want billionares and foreign corporations to pay more in taxes than struggling individuals do? Sorry, the media says different, and so will I."

I'm sure we could all list literally hundreds of examples for each & every year in between. What we cant find is ways that this "strategy" of going along with a media frame, no matter how false, has actually stregthened our party or our nation.

[indepat]

2. The more BHO moves to the right of center, the more the MSM labels it as moving to the center

How :silly: how disingenuous, how mendacious, how hypocritical

[SpartanDem]

5. He moved to the right?

Calling for more spending in research, infrastructure and education? Ending oil subsides and tax breaks/loopholes for corporations?

[indepat]

7. Well at least right past the huge unemployment and underemployment issues in the wake of a financial

meltdown, humongeous bailouts and present burgeoning corporate profits which are largely being sat upon rather than increasing hiring to any significant extent. The permanent underclass; those jobless, underemployed, or not earning a living wage; those in poverty, homeless or losing their homes; those on food stamps or without health insurance, all not all of these a part of the state of this union? But let's deregulate the under-regulated financial giants who perpetrated a seeming multi-trillion dollar fraud upon all of us and, for heaven's sake, not investigate, prosecute, and convict the blatantly guilty. ;)

[Dr Fate]

3. Oh- I get it. Obama is not a centrist- yet he is moving the center towards us!

I hope that the centrist donors, activists and voters are more impressed this time than they were during the midterms.

Where the hell were they when when needed them, even after we went out of our ways to move to the center in order to impress them?

The problem is that we did not move those centrists toward US! The way we do that is not to move to the center, like those idiots in the media predicted, but to move to more moderate postitions that centrists say they agree with. Not the same thing at all.

Well, that was then, this is now. Instead of moving to the center, we will move centrists towrds us! The media and liberal nay-sayers will be eating crow on that soon enough!

[newtothegame]

6. Oh yeah. Intergalactic chess. Same thing with tax cuts for the rich and endless wars. nt