Obama's Nefarious Right-wing Plot Revealed!

[leveymg]

60. I think the concept of "radical centrist" is important and accurate in describing neoliberals.

Quickly scanned the Lakoff piece from 2007 you linked. Interesting that he approvingly referenced Obama's statements about the essentially progressive nature of American ideology back then. I agree that the traditional "liberal-conservative" (left/right, progressive/reactionary) continuum of American political life is limited in what it describes, in that many people crossover on various issues, and can be described as social liberals (pro-gay rights, pro-abortion) on some issues while are actually quite reactionary in their economic orientation (in favor of tax minimization for the wealthy and against redistribution).

In fact, most people in the One Percent, and many professionals who I know such as lawyers and accountants who serve the wealthy and corporate clients are social liberals and economic conservatives. On the other hand, there are some people who are extremely populist Left in their economic ideology but rigidly intolerant of what they view as social deviants. Eric Blair (George Orwell) was one of the latter. In some respects, Ron Paul may be the inverse of that from the right.

I can't agree with Lakoff that all politics are based in moral values and that there is such thing as national characteristics. I'm afraid, I can't even agree with Obama that the U.S. is essentially a progressive country. In many ways, for all its wondrous diversity and social movements, it is still a very reactionary place in its attachment to unregulated capitalism compared to much of Europe which still has a strong labor movement, genuine progressive (social-democratic, green, and pacifist) political parties, and as a result limited military-industrial complexes and viable safety networks. That's exactly what the One Percenters and their reactionary allies are counter-attacking in Europe, having already rolled back the welfare state in the U.S. and U.K. - and in that respect, Obama is in some of his policies and "post-political" sentiments also very much a radical centrist reactionary.