Is moving to the center possible in todays politics esp. with an election near?

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

How do you define "moving to the center?" From the #analysis of most of the conservative world, HW Bush, Dole, McCain and Romney lost because they were too centrist, and W Bush only won reelection because he was "lucky" enough to be Prez when 9/11 happened. As far as Obama goes...

Obama did not support same-sex marriage in 2008 (he only supported civil unions).
Obama never championed (or spoke about) a $15/hr minimum wage, or even a $12/hr minimum wage
Obama kept combat forces in Afghanistan
Obama chose the compromise, Republican-conceived path to universal health coverage
Obama avoided talking about race relations at all until forced to by current events
Obama was a free-trader actively involved in negotiating the TPP.
Obama's immigration policies were partially responsible for net migration of undocumented immigrants back to Mexico in his second term.

If Barack Obama had been pro-life, he might have done well as a Republican.

It is true that Obama was further left than any President since LBJ, but that's because Clinton was a pure centrist, and you could argue Carter was center-right.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

How do you define "moving to the center?" From the #analysis of most of the conservative world, HW Bush, Dole, McCain and Romney lost because they were too centrist, and W Bush only won reelection because he was "lucky" enough to be Prez when 9/11 happened. As far as Obama goes...

Obama did not support same-sex marriage in 2008 (he only supported civil unions).
Obama never championed (or spoke about) a $15/hr minimum wage, or even a $12/hr minimum wage
Obama kept combat forces in Afghanistan
Obama chose the compromise, Republican-conceived path to universal health coverage
Obama avoided talking about race relations at all until forced to by current events
Obama was a free-trader actively involved in negotiating the TPP.
Obama's immigration policies were partially responsible for net migration of undocumented immigrants back to Mexico in his second term.

If Barack Obama had been pro-life, he might have done well as a Republican.

It is true that Obama was further left than any President since LBJ, but that's because Clinton was a pure centrist, and you could argue Carter was center-right.

I think it's fair to say Obama quietly had many policies that were centrist, but his rhetoric and the way he presented himself was pretty left . I think his rhetoric played to the base 90% of the time.

Examples?

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

- Any time there was a racial incident he almost always did not take the side of law enforcement.

If these victims were white, no one would be taking the side of law enforcement when it's clear from video evidence that the victim was unarmed and posed no threat to the lives of LEOs. What you mean is, Obama didn't take the side of the far right.

- His rhetoric about "talking to your enemies".

With apologies for going "whatabout," was Trump is a pinko lefty for crossing into North Korea to talk with Kim? For trying to engage Iran? For siding with Russia against our own intelligence community?

- Closing Gitmo

A great talking point that ended up being meaningless, but this had wide mainstream support.

- The Patriot Act was "unamerican"

And was hugely unpopular across the political spectrum, especially with libertarian-minded Republicans. You keep bringing up positions that had broad support.

- His rhetoric on immigration even though the actual policies were more centrist.

His rhetoric on immigration was completely in line with Graham (before he crawled on his belly to Trump) and Rubio. Are they left-wingers?

- His rhetoric on the environment and climate change was very liberal.

This is true, but also backed up by objective fact and scientific consensus. It's sad when facts and science are considered liberal. The science of climate change should not be a political issue. Agreeing with 98% of scientists in the field is not "hard left," no matter how hard the right tries to politicize it.

- His rhetoric on Israel even though the actual policy was left-center.

This one I'll punt, because the vast majority of Americans have no idea what's going on, and the only people who have any kind of strong opinion are Evangelical Christians and Orthodox Jews. And both fall into the "Israel can do whatever it wants" camp. So your choices are ultra-right, or take a position that has no support from anyone outside the far left.

- His rhetoric on foreign policy was almost always America should stay out of stuff and America has been the aggressor.

After six years of wars that had become monumentally unpopular, no opposition candidate is going to run on a message of "This is fine. I am ok with what is happening."

Again, apologies for the whatabout, but Trump made his mythical, fabricated "opposition" to the Iraq War the centerpiece of the foreign policy credentials. If Trump was winning over Republicans with that rhetoric in 2016, how can it be "hard left" in 2008?

Obama's policies may have been left center but his tone and speeches were hard left.

Only from the perspective of the far-right.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

Obama appealed to a broad swath of individuals across America that why he won by nearly 10 million votes. Your president and party are the only who plays to there base because their ideas don't appeal to anyone unless they cheat or make hidden tones of racism.

The first time before moderates realized the guy was pretty far left. He only won by 4 million the 2nd time. Even with a weak candidate like Romney Obama did not win reelection by that good of a margin. Obama was the most racist president we've ever had. Almost everything he did divided us by that.

Because Trump is winning new voters everyday and talks about unity and bringing people together.

He is getting a higher percentage of African-Americans than W, Romney or McCain did. He is getting the highest # of Hispanics for a Republican since W. His appeal is bigger than the media wants to talk to about. You don't win states like Pennsylvania and Michigan only playing to your base. Trump has taken votes away from traditionally moderate democratic areas.  He has remade what the Republican base is.

But how has he actually appealed to these groups? I'm Gujju Indian and a vast vast majority of Indian people are anti-Trump.  The only ones who generally support Trump are part of upper wealthy circles.  Not to say there's anything wrong with that, but I think you may beoverstating his minority appeal -- even if it is higher than past GOP figures.

Trump's "I'm a businessman and I want to make deals for the United States" has broad appeal. It's his statements that get people in a stir. He's an entertainer and democrats take everything he says literally.

We don't need a leader to entertain us.

Most Americans think Dr. Oz is a great physician and leading medical scientist, and Dr. Phil is a groundbreaking therapist. Americans worship celebrity and entertainers.

Trump could have won as a Democrat. Had he spent 2000-2015 buddying up to Oprah and Jon Stewart (Jon Stewart is not that stupid, but suspend disbelief) he could have made the same sales pitch and crushed... Marco Rubio? And then Democrats would be rationalizing all his behavior, and Republicans would be clutching pearls at every tweet while Evangelicals slowly gathered torches and pitchforks.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

Obama appealed to a broad swath of individuals across America that why he won by nearly 10 million votes. Your president and party are the only who plays to there base because their ideas don't appeal to anyone unless they cheat or make hidden tones of racism.

The first time before moderates realized the guy was pretty far left. He only won by 4 million the 2nd time. Even with a weak candidate like Romney Obama did not win reelection by that good of a margin. Obama was the most racist president we've ever had. Almost everything he did divided us by that.

Because Trump is winning new voters everyday and talks about unity and bringing people together.

He is getting a higher percentage of African-Americans than W, Romney or McCain did. He is getting the highest # of Hispanics for a Republican since W. His appeal is bigger than the media wants to talk to about. You don't win states like Pennsylvania and Michigan only playing to your base. Trump has taken votes away from traditionally moderate democratic areas.  He has remade what the Republican base is.

But how has he actually appealed to these groups? I'm Gujju Indian and a vast vast majority of Indian people are anti-Trump.  The only ones who generally support Trump are part of upper wealthy circles.  Not to say there's anything wrong with that, but I think you may beoverstating his minority appeal -- even if it is higher than past GOP figures.

Trump's "I'm a businessman and I want to make deals for the United States" has broad appeal. It's his statements that get people in a stir. He's an entertainer and democrats take everything he says literally.

We don't need a leader to entertain us.

Most Americans think Dr. Oz is a great physician and leading medical scientist, and Dr. Phil is a groundbreaking therapist. Americans worship celebrity and entertainers.

Trump could have won as a Democrat. Had he spent 2000-2015 buddying up to Oprah and Jon Stewart (Jon Stewart is not that stupid, but suspend disbelief) he could have made the same sales pitch and crushed... Marco Rubio? And then Democrats would be rationalizing all his behavior, and Republicans would be clutching pearls at every tweet while Evangelicals slowly gathered torches and pitchforks.

That's the nature of the 2 party system. Why do democrats now defend globalism at every turn when under the Bush era they sounded much like Trump now and wanted to stay out of things?

You're lumping a bunch of people together and assuming they all share the same opinion. I'm an unabashed free-trading globalist and constantly butt heads with my liberal friends.

I also voted for Bush twice, so...

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

How do you define "moving to the center?" From the #analysis of most of the conservative world, HW Bush, Dole, McCain and Romney lost because they were too centrist, and W Bush only won reelection because he was "lucky" enough to be Prez when 9/11 happened. As far as Obama goes...

Obama did not support same-sex marriage in 2008 (he only supported civil unions).
Obama never championed (or spoke about) a $15/hr minimum wage, or even a $12/hr minimum wage
Obama kept combat forces in Afghanistan
Obama chose the compromise, Republican-conceived path to universal health coverage
Obama avoided talking about race relations at all until forced to by current events
Obama was a free-trader actively involved in negotiating the TPP.
Obama's immigration policies were partially responsible for net migration of undocumented immigrants back to Mexico in his second term.

If Barack Obama had been pro-life, he might have done well as a Republican.

It is true that Obama was further left than any President since LBJ, but that's because Clinton was a pure centrist, and you could argue Carter was center-right.

Carter has been the most sympathetic towards the likes of Cuba, Venezuela, and Palestine of any President in recent history, and even during his presidency was probably the most dovish of the post-war era. He pardoned all draft dodgers. He engaged in almost no violent conflicts (outside the failed Operation Eagle Claw). He sought peace agreements at every turn. He opposed the death penalty. He was also miles ahead of his contemporaries on issues like Civil Rights and energy/the environment. He ultimately voted for Bernie Sanders, for Christ's sake! Just because he deregulated the airlines and the beer industry, that doesn't make him "center-right." I would argue he was and is actually more left than Clinton, who himself is not "center-right" despite what some people claim.

Most of what you mention happened after he left office. His dovishness while in office was completely understandable at the time, when the nation was weary of war and trying to heal from Vietnam. Prior to Reagan (and the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the oil crisis), most Republicans would have taken the same path.