After the primaries, candidates move to the center

[question everything]

This is a known fact. I am not telling anything new (at least, not to the ones who have gone through several election cycles).

Thus, to find attacks on Obama for almost every step he has taken since securing the nomination is really... naive.

No, I do not like his FISA support and I trust him that after he is in office he will issue an executive order to modify it.

But we have to remember that we Democrats, are still suffering from an the image of "weak on national security," an image that is magnified when the opponent is a war veteran.

I even had to rethink my recommendations for his VP - someone with military credentials like Wes Clark and Jim Webb... both former Republicans.

And we've seen suggestions here for Hagel as a VP.

There have been observations here that the Republicans are going to use what the Hillary campaign was saying about Obama. Using the primary rhetorics is one thing. But now that he is the nominee and we all agreed (more or less) to unify behind him, why provide ammunition to Karl Rove et al?

[newmajority]

1. Center of WHAT, exactly?

I'm not referring to Obama specifically here, but I'm sick and fucking tired of this mythical corporate/DLC/whore media created "center".

Michael Moore wrote a few years back about how the actual values shared by most Americans were overwhelmingly Liberal. Even among many people who have been convinced that they are "conservative" or "centrist" by the machine.

So why do we continue to allow this lie to exist?

[AuntPatsy]

2. To ensure they can continue to use religious zealotry which of course is needed

to control and its perhaps the easiest way to control quite a few American citzens as sad as that is.

[RC]

3. Yeah, who or what is defining this "Center"?

For the last umpteen years anyone to the left of the bottom edge of the slippery slope has been defined as Liberal. We hardly know ye anymore. We need to define the REAL CENTER.

[NYC_SKP]

4. There is no center.

There is just the mean, median, and mode of whatever poll or survey is being used.

A candidate has a natural inclination to move from the statistically perceive center of the voters in the primary toward that of the general electorate during the general.

Often, this movement is nuanced toward a particular demographic, such as swing voters or independents.

"Left/Center/Right" is a far too simplistic system to be of much use.

[question everything]

5. The Center meaning a willing to compromise

which, really, is what politics all about. It does not mean taking a stand and sticking by it, no matter what, even if, especially if, you lose an election. (I lived in California in the 90s and saw how the Republicans lost all state offices because they "stood to principles.")

It means, for example, realizing that pulling all the troops from Iraq cold turkey could be damaging, willing, instead, to withdraw in steps.

It means that trade agreements are important, even if Labor opposes all.

It means realizing that many middle income earners are small investors and increasing Capital Gain tax could hurt them.

It means expressing support for Israel.

It means recognizing that Corporate America is an important part of our economy, that Capitalism is what makes this country runs.

It means leaving room for private insurance companies in facilitating delivery of health care.

I don't like all of these, but they are a fact of life. Each point would raise hollers of protests on DU with calls of "betrayal" but each would make him more attractive to self-described moderate and Independents.

[Orsino]

6. Why, the center that lies between the right and the hard-right, of course.

This is America.

We may claim to have liberal values, but we will line up to kneel before anyone with money, forgetting those so-called values.