Some who had tired of centrist appropriation [View all]

[GaryCnf]

of progressive popularity suggested I make this an OP. Someone posted a poll revealing Obama's political approach to be more favored than the Sanders political approach. Almost immediately it was seized upon as proof of the popularity of establishment politics. Recalling not just 2008, but knowing Obama's 2012-2016 presidency to be a near wholesale rejection of incrementalism, I had to respond (edited slightly):

[What this poll actually asks is] more like [Do you prefer politicians like] the greatest president of our times and a transformative figure in American history or . . . (Insert any name you wish)?

Easy question. It's Obama every time. Now ask the same question but substitute McCaskill, Harris, Biden, or even candidates who are no longer running for office for "Sanders."

[This is] Followed by [the expected dose of] spin trying to portray Barrack as a moderate, establishment Democrat. Obama ran AGAINST a moderate Democrat AND the party establishment in the 2008 primary and beat them into submission. He ran as a progressive agent of change in the 2008 general election.

He compromised toward moderation from 2008-12 because disloyal blue dogs wouldn't get behind the policies he ran on and the Republican caucus had no such loyalty issues when it came to opposing him.

Moderates abandoned him anyway in 2010 and got their heads handed to them and Congress handed to Republicans. The moderates blamed Obama. In 2012, he won a clear majority, not merely a plurality, of the popular vote because the people still believed in him and the people in my community turned out like never before.

From 2012 through 2016, he used the power of the unitary executive to take radically progressive measures that to this day wouldn't get 100% support from our caucus.

Watching the establishment try to appropriate his legacy borders on hilarious, or disgusting.