Reality Based Politics - Obama is a Centrist

Here is a report on Sarah Palin's appearance yesterday on the Today show. She rants on and on about Obama being a socialist (albeit a failed one). Notice that at no time did the host ask her what she is smoking. So much for liberal media bias.

Here is a graphic by Keith Poole, perhaps the political scientist most adept at measuring the policy preferences of politicians. The graphic locates each American President since WWII in a common policy space. What the graphic shows in Keith's words is that: "President Obama is the most moderate Democratic president since the end of World War II."

Let's be clear about a couple of things. First, if the so-called-liberal-media are going to demonstrate their even handedness by inviting know-nothings like Palin onto the air waves, they have some obligation to call them out when they utter idiocies. Second, many of the recent Republican presidents (including all three since 1980) have been considerably further to the right than any of the post-war Democratic presidents have been. If you are looking for the source of our current political malaise (i.e., the dreaded "polarization" and "incivility"), look rightward. The nutters are off in the distance. Finally I wish Obama were even trying to implement socialist policies. But if he is a rabid socialist what does that make poor old Harry Truman?