Week after week we have our media pushing the idea that right wing ideology is somehow "centrist" with Bill Kristol's hackery here on Fox News Sunday just being another recent example. Even though Kristol admits that every one of the policies he's praising President Obama for embracing are all Republican ideas, he paints it as being a pivot to the center. Sorry Bill, but it's a hard turn to the right in the under the guise of "compromise".
WALLACE: The subtext in all this Bill is after his midterm shellacking, the president moved to the center and won reelection. Is that what Obama began to do this week, making his deal with Republicans to pivot to the center and how do you think that will work for him?
KRISTOL: Yes. That's exactly what he did. We predicted this I think right at the Sunday, right after this show everyone was like oh, he's such an ideologue, he'll never move to the center, he can't do what Clinton did. Remember that debate that took place a couple of weeks after this election? Could Obama pull a Clinton? Obama's literally pulled a Clinton... he's standing there with Bill Clinton and they're accepting... Barack Obama and Bill Clinton stood up there and defended the Bush tax rates and the Republican estate tax proposal. Now just think about that for a moment.
They weren't defending the Clinton tax rate. They weren't defending the Obama tax...
LIASSON: They were defending the payroll tax cut and...
KRISTOL: They were defending the payroll tax cut which is something Republicans have liked for a long time. Anyway, I'm saying this is from a policy point of view, this is a big move to the center by President Obama, following incidentally on his symbolic little freeze for government workers pay which is something Republicans have been for. The South Korean free trade agreement, something Republicans have been for. He's going to stay in the surge in Afghanistan. Remember that December review where Obama was going to begin pulling out. No way, no how. David Petraeus is in charge of Aghanistan.
So the president has pivoted to the center which is good for the country. It's good for conservatives. I do think it helps his reelection prospects some because being you know, moderate conservative...
WILLIAMS: That's what I was saying...
KRISTOL: There's still enough things he's on the left on that I think Republicans will be fine.
