The latest entry in the Obama-moves-to-the-center ledger comes from the Times, quoting a woman who switched her Green party registration to support the senator in the Oregon primary:
“I'm disgusted with him,” said Ms. Shade, an artist. “I can’t even listen to him anymore. He had such an opportunity, but all this ‘audacity of hope’ stuff, it’s blah, blah, blah. For all the independents he’s going to gain, he’s going to lose a lot of progressives.”
But Obama isn't really moving to the center. The article goes on to quote folks on the left (including a surprisingly temperate David Sirota) who understand that his fundamentally liberal philosophy isn't changing. Those worried that this meme, pushed as much by conservatives as progressives, would undermine Obama's support with his base can probably rest easy. And though the Times cites liberal bloggers as chief critics of the Senator, it's important to remember that this is the same netroots that has made pragmatism and a winning elections a chief priority.
The Times article also deserves an extra kudo for it's snarky kicker, again quoting Ms. Shade on the lefties who continue to support Obama:
“You realize,” Ms. Shade said, her voice fading with resignation, “that you're talking to somebody who's pretty far out of the mainstream.”
--Tim Fernholz
