Obama is well to the left of Bill Clinton. [View all]

[DanTex]

Can we at least agree on that? Sometimes it seems that anyone to the right of Bernie Sanders is derided by most DUers as a Third-Way Centrist, but the fact of the matter is, while Clinton did govern as a centrist or conservative Dem, Obama is not doing that.

If we look at some of Clinton's major legislations:
-Financial Deregulation -- repeal glass Steagal and CFMA
-NAFTA
-Welfare Reform
-DOMA and DADT (although, to be fair, DADT was a step forward at the time, and DOMA had enough votes to override a veto)

Now, that list isn't entirely fair to Clinton, he also did some good things: SCHIP, gun control, raised top tax rate, etc. But still, his legacy is mainly as a centrist who compromised with Gingrich and the GOP, and pushed a neoliberal, deregulatory economic agenda, and some of his policies directly set the stage for the financial collapse in 2008.

On the other hand, Obama's major legislations:
-Obamacare
-Stimulus
-Dodd-Frank
-Intervened to save auto industry
-Ended war in Iraq
-Repealed DADT

And I'm not cherry-picking here. These are actually the most significant policies that Obama enacted. What's "Third-Way" about anything on this list? Sure, Obamacare isn't single payer, but it's obviously a step in the right direction. Sure, the stimulus wasn't big enough, and Dodd-Frank wasn't strong enough, but again, these aren't Third-Way policies -- and, of course, there is the reality of having to get things through congress.

That doesn't mean he's as liberal as I would want him to be, although his accomplishments are pretty close to as liberal as they could possibly be given the Republican opposition he is facing.