# How do we square Obama's chronic compromising with his radical socialism? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 9, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584 "2010-12-09T21:32:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/1 "2010-12-09T21:32:20Z")
Or are they not mutually exclusive? ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/2 "2010-12-09T21:42:14Z")
(1) I don’t see why those two would be mutually exclusive and (2) what specifically makes you think that Pres. Obama is a “radical socialist”? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/3 "2010-12-09T21:43:36Z")
“We?” I suppose people who really believe Obama is a radical socialist believe he is being defeated by the will of the American people and the Republican party. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/4 "2010-12-09T22:01:06Z")
Perhaps he is just not very good at it. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/5 "2010-12-09T22:03:37Z")
Perhaps the right wing lied like the lying dogs they are when they called him socialist. Or more likely they were too stupid to know what socialism is, and actually considered Obama’s weak centrism to be socialism. Regards, Villa ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/6 "2010-12-09T22:03:47Z")
He has never shown any tendencies toward radicalism of any kind. It is just Fox trying to create an enemy with slanted terminology. Some people are dumb enough to buy it. ---
**Author:** ![Raskolnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Raskolnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raskolnikov)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/7 "2010-12-09T22:04:54Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > Or are they not mutually exclusive? I’m assuming you’re being sarcastic? :rolleyes: at least I hope, hard to be a socialist when you’re not even a liberal. Just shows the unmitigated stupidity of the American people that so many actually think he is one. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/8 "2010-12-09T22:08:50Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Perhaps he is just not very good at it. You’re suggesting he’s a Republican plant under deep cover? That _would_ explain everything! 😉 Regards, Squink ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/9 "2010-12-09T22:10:02Z")
Sometimes the obvious explanation is the correct one, Obama does NOT subscribe to radical socialism. I think there is a lot of reading into Obama what people want to read into him. So far, seems to me he is a pragmatist that compromises to cut deals and get \*something \*done. I subscribe to the view that the US healthcare is broken, and doing anything to try fix it is an improvement. After all, the “rampant socialism” there was essentially the Republican proposal of a few years ago. I certainly would prefer to have a weak first step, and subsequent improvements to healthcare than gridlock and nothing. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/10 "2010-12-09T22:19:46Z")
Examples of all the many compromises please. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/11 "2010-12-09T22:25:14Z")
He’s a right winger, not a socialist. Slightly less right wing than the Republicans have become, but that doesn’t make him a left winger much less a socialist. This is the same guy whose health care “reform” is a reheated Republican plan and a giveaway to insurance corporations. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/12 "2010-12-09T22:26:39Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Examples of all the many compromises please. The health care law and this week’s tax proposal are the most obvious. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/13 "2010-12-09T22:30:17Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The health care law and this week’s tax proposal are the most obvious. Obamacare? I thought the Republicans didn’t offer anything on that? How can you call that a compromise? Even if I agreed that Obamacare was a compromise I wouldn’t call that chronic. Would you? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/14 "2010-12-09T22:32:42Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > How do we square Obama’s chronic compromising with his radical socialism? Well, you examine your premises and discover one of them is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/15 "2010-12-09T22:32:54Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Obamacare? I thought the Republicans didn’t offer anything on that? How can you call that a compromise? Yeah, a cave in isn’t a compromise. A compromise is two sided. Giving in to every demand of the Republicans isn’t compromise. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/16 "2010-12-09T22:34:29Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Obamacare? I thought the Republicans didn’t offer anything on that? How can you call that a compromise? The Republicans didn’t offer anything on that one. Obama compromised with conservative Democrats and the pharmaceutical and insurance industries. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/17 "2010-12-09T22:36:07Z")
He’s a realist instead of a fluffy headed idealist? He knows that in our system, especially given the political realities of the balance of power in this country, the history (especially concerning the increasing hostility between the two parties, especially the loony fringe of both parties) and where the citizenry stands on most of the issues that compromise is the only way to get anything accomplished? I agree with others as well…he never was a radical socialist by any stretch of the imagination. He’s always been a centrist, just slightly left of center in the US. Very much like Clinton, without the wandering dick…but with a base and party that are even less tolerant today of compromise and who expect him to work miracles and punish the opposition party as if he were God King, instead of simply President…and as if the opposition party weren’t even there and held no power at all. In short, he’s a decent president who’s own supporters will eat him alive and who have already done a lot of damage and caused the Dems to lose power in the house, senate and possibly lose the presidency after only one term. WTG TEAM! OOOOOOORRRRRAAAAHHHHH! -XT ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/18 "2010-12-09T22:37:21Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Very much like Clinton, without the wandering dick… Must… not… ask… which Clinton… ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/19 "2010-12-09T22:38:38Z")
I don’t expect him to punish the opposition. I just expect that when he makes compromises, he works toward the best of both worlds, not the worst of them. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584/20 "2010-12-09T22:39:48Z")
> [@Sqweels](#): > > How do we square Obama’s chronic compromising with his radical socialism? > [@Marley23](#): > > I suppose people who really believe Obama is a radical socialist believe he is being defeated by the will of the American people and the Republican party. > [@gonzomax](#): > > He has never shown any tendencies toward radicalism of any kind. > [@China Guy](#): > > Obama does NOT subscribe to radical socialism. Well, at least you guys are beginning to equate socialism with radicalism. That’s a good note. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-square-obamas-chronic-compromising-with-his-radical-socialism/563584.md?page=2)