“Barack Obama is 48-years-old, a ‘young’ president. But in a sense, he is an OLD 48-year-old. The House leadership, the committee chairmen leading his agenda, are old guys from the 1960s and ’70s. The so-called progressive Democrats who make up his core base are essentially a labor movement stuck in a one-size-fits everything industrial model from the 1930s.” (Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal, 1-28-10)
This is what I mean when I refer to “the 30 percent.” 30 percent of voters will vote for Obama — and someone else just as socialist — no matter what. Probably another 30 percent would never vote that way; they are either pro-capitalist, pro-individual rights or at least vaguely Republican. The 40 percent who are uncommitted literally go back and forth, almost every election. Some of this 40 percent are pro-individual rights and are therefore disgusted with both Republicans and Democrats (although ferociously liberal Democrats, like we have in office now, drive them back to Republicans soon enough). Most of the 40 percent are simply looking for something different. They know it’s not more of the Bush socialism-lite we had for 8 years under Republican control. But they’re clearly not looking for “Socialism: The Real Thing,” either. This means the next stage is for a political movement to develop that is not merely “moderate” but decisively in one direction or the other. Obama is trying to make that movement socialism and fascism, of the left. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t sell too well in America. So what’s next? A return to Bush-style socialism-lite, or something truly different?