Anatomy of a Right Wing Myth: Obama is the most liberal Democratic Senator

[onehandle]

Lately John and I have been gnashing our collective teeth every time we see one of the Republican shills on TV repeating, mantra-like, the #1 GOP Big Lie of the campaign: “Barack Obama is the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate.”

If only! Actually there are 39 Democrats with more liberal voting records, although Obama does at least beat perennial Bush rubber stamps Holy Joe Lieberman (CT), Ben Nelson (NE) and Mary Landrieu (LA). His voting record– however you slice it, however you dice it– points to a solidly mainstream centrist– and, to be honest, considerably less liberal than… sssshhhhhhh… Hillary.

So how do CNN, CBS, ABC and NBC all allow the paid GOP shills to get away with their Big Lie? Good question. There’s one cooked up National Journal “study” that these clowns keep referring to– yes the same cloddish National Journal that criticized its own ranking of John Kerry as “the most liberal senator” in 2004.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/05/19/anatomy-of-a-right-wing-myth-obama-is-the-most-liberal-democratic-senator/

[enki23]

1. it's easy, you see

you simply define every vote barack obama cast as the "liberal" position, and rate everyone else in the senate according to that metric. the grand old party thrives on such bullshit. coprophagous elephents aren't a pretty sight.

[saigon68]

15. Just wait til 35 Willie Hortons show up nightly

The "Black Crack Criminal" will be a feature 24/7 on the tube this fall

[onehandle]

21. Ugh. Colbert had the tool that created that ad on recently.

They made fun of him and his poisonous ways, but I still wanted to see him tarred and feathered.

[goddess40]

2. Drive me nuts, they did the same crap last time

and there a people no matter what proof you have will continue to push the lie, just like the Obama is Muslim lie.

[Romulox]

3. Obama is like a blank sheet of paper for both his supporters and detractors.

Republicans and Democrats both desperately want him to be a liberal, so they declare him a liberal. I would call him a centrist/moderate at best.

[unpossibles]

4. gosh, they say this about all of our candidates! You'd think our half of the Senate was

playing hackeysack in tie-dyed ushankas or something.

I hate to get all Godwin about this, but it amazes me how they complain about how Liberal McCain, or even Obama and Clinton are - I'd love to know what their metric is. Hell, these same folks think Hitler was a leftist, so I shudder to think who their ideal leader is: Ghengis Khan?

[Orwellian_Ghost]

5. So would you say

Obama is a centrist in the American political spectrum?

[kentuck]

6. As I recall...

John Kerry was the most liberal Senator the last time when he ran? :-)

[newmajority]

9. Yes, they said the same thing about Kerry

Despite the fact that most of his votes from 2000 - 2004 were anything BUT "Liberal", as he was following the stupid DLC "gotta run to the mythical center" strategy. For all the good that did him. And for all the good it's done for Hillary, who even went far beyond what Kerry did and pandered to the hard right.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

7. The irony: He's not even the most liberal Senator in his state.

[BlooInBloo]

8. Uh, true or not, this isn't something to run away from you fucking cowards. Sheesh.

[Forkboy]

10. ....

:pals:

[BlooInBloo]

11. Well what the fuck?

DUers spend years bitching about the lack of liberal government, and how we're gonna kick ass in the next elections. And then THE VERY SECOND republicans use the "L" word, DUers start running for the fucking hills like whiny ass titty babies.

Fucking wusses.

[Forkboy]

12. It's been happening for years. Drives me crazy too.

I embrace the term proudly. Obama isn't the most liberal in the Senate (I wish he was) but like you say, so what if he was?

I say we hit the Repubs on this head on and start pointing out how psychotic it is to be a conservative.

[onehandle]

13. So we should let the right-wing label our candidates?

Obama is a Centrist. If we let them label him a Liberal (as a bad thing) like they did Kerry (who was more Liberal, but not the most Liberal) we have problems.

[BlooInBloo]

14. If they want to call us GOOD names, we shouldn't act like they're BAD....

Oh gawd. I wanna draft a new team. Cowards need not fucking apply.

Sheesh.

[YOY]

16. I don't know what pisses me off more

The fact that they paint a centrist as left or the fact that "liberal" isn't a dirty word.

Makes this little "liberal hippie" want to go on a slap fest. F*** that, a MORAN beatdown fest.

[onehandle]

18. Exactly right.

They want to paint our candidate with a label that they belittle at the same time.

That's the point.

[harun]

17. All of the "Most" Liberal and Conservative ratings are Bullsh*t (n/t)

[DangerousRhythm]

19. Somehow the Democrat up for election...

...is always the #1 liberal, most liberal ever, blah blah. It's so tired and predictable.

[onehandle]

20. Same old story every election even when we run a Centrist like Obama.

It does get old.

[MethuenProgressive]

22. Clinton's much more Liberal.

But the GOP is done pulling her down. Now there're moving on.