Bozell Says Obama Was A Far-Left Candidate, Seconds Later Says He ‘Won As A Conservative’
Bozell Says Obama Was A Far-Left Candidate, Seconds Later Says He ‘Won As A Conservative’
Reeling from Tuesday’s widespread losses, yesterday “about 20 political strategists and social and fiscal conservative leaders met” to discuss the future of the movement at the home of Brent Bozell, head of the right-wing Media Research Center. Describing the meeting on Fox News this morning, Bozell insisted America remained a “center-right country” and that the election had not been the death knell for conservatism because “conservatism played no role in the election.” Seconds later, however, Bozell claimed that Barack Obama had won the election “as a conservative”:
BOZELL: Conservatives didn’t play a role in this campaign. This was a moderate Republican against a liberal, left-wing Democrat. And the left-wing Democrat beat the moderate Republican. … If you look at the exit polls this year, you’ll find two fascinating results. Number one: This country remains every bit as center-right as it has for a generation.
HEMMER: You don’t think that’s changed at all?
BOZELL: No it hasn’t. … Number one is that the public is conservative; number two: Barack Obama won as a conservative. That means Barack Obama does not have the mandate to enact the progressive agenda he wants to enact.
Watch it:
As Bozell seems to acknowledge at the start of the interview, Obama in fact “ran on the most progressive platform of any presidential candidate in at least 15 years, including a promise of universal health care coverage, a dramatic transformation to a low-carbon economy, and a historic investment in education.” Despite the radical right’s repeated claims to the contrary, Tuesday’s election results were a clear mandate for positive progressive change.
What’s more, Bozell insisted that if you simply “look at the exit polls,” you see proof that Americans remain conservative. However, exit polls show that Americans were overwhelmingly concerned about the economy — and the majority of those voters saw Obama as the best steward of the economy. Moreover, two-thirds said they were worried about being able to afford health care, and sixty percent of these voters supported Obama. A majority of voters felt the government “should do more” rather than less, and 63 percent disapproved of the Iraq war.
As far as Bozell’s point that Obama ran as a conservative and thus has no mandate for progressive change — even the McCain campaign disputes that claim. As Mark Salter told Politico, Americans clearly understood Obama’s progressive agenda:
Our polling showed that more than 60 percent of voters identified Obama as a liberal. Typically, a candidate is not going to win the presidency with those figures. But I think the country just disregarded it. People didn’t care. They just wanted the biggest change they could get.
Perhaps the media isn’t reporting the “fascinating stuff” Bozell sees in the election results because it’s simply not true.
Transcript:
BOZELL: There’s some fascinating stuff out there that’s really not being reported. Conservatives didn’t play a role in this campaign. This was a moderate Republican against a liberal, left-wing Democrat. And the left-wing Democrat beat the moderate Republican. The moderate Republican wing of the party is demolished, in the House, in the Congress, in the Senate, and now as a presidential candidate. It’s finished. So now what happens with conservatives? Conservatives have to reassert their position. And we’re going to take over this country, the way we did it with Ronald Reagan. And there’s a lot of work that needs to be done. And here’s the key thing though, that really isn’t being reported. If you look at the exit polls this year, you’ll find two fascinating results. Number one: This country remains every bit as center-right as it has for a generation.
HEMMER: You don’t think that’s changed at all?
BOZELL: No it hasn’t. Look at the exit polling. The number-one issue was the economy. Nothing came close. The American people are fiscally conservative and the fascinating thing, Bill, is that Barack Obama ran as a Reaganite and won over the public as a fiscal conservative. That’s what the polling data shows.
HEMMER: You said there were two things. What was number two?
BOZELL: Well number one is that the public is conservative; number two: Barack OBama won as a conservative. That means Barack Obama does not have the mandate to enact the progressive agenda he wants to enact. He didn’t run on it. He ran from it. So it’s not necessarily bad news for conservatives.
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I wonder what tv show pissed him off today. Can you imagine having this dbag for a dad? Get your panties unbunched and turn off the television you whiny little prick
November 7th, 2008 at 4:01 pmThey’re spinning so much, its a wonder they don’t fall off the merry-go-round and get sick behind the slides….
November 7th, 2008 at 4:02 pm…and he’s one of the guys who are going to repair and recalibrate the goperverse?
good luck, *ssholes!
November 7th, 2008 at 4:03 pmThe conservative argument:
The world is conservative because we say so, and regardless of what we say, the world is conservative.
The point we’re making here is that, facts be damned, the world is conservative.
Doesn’t make much sense? Well what you’re failing to understand is that the world is conservative!
November 7th, 2008 at 4:03 pmApparently, wingnuts have devised a treatment for cognitive dissonance.
I think it’s called “hypocrisy”.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:03 pmWingnuts like Bozo are used to talking to their brainwashed base. They dont even TRY to make sense. They have their programmed their Limborg listeners better than Pavlov ever trained any of his dogs. They dont worry about contradicting theirselves since just like in 1984 they just adjust their thinking to the new reality even a couple of seconds after the old reality becomes non functional. The good news is that for actual humans its a free clown show
November 7th, 2008 at 4:05 pmSo first he was a secret Muslim. Then he was a secret black-power Christian. Then he was a secret terrorist. Then he was a secret socialist. Then he was a secret illegal immigrant.
Are we now to believe he’s a secret REPUBLICAN?
November 7th, 2008 at 4:07 pmI wonder if all the participants at this meeting at Bozells Dude House, had to strip naked, and roll around in sacred oils?
November 7th, 2008 at 4:12 pmHow does a so called “moderate republican” lose in a country that’s center right?
Ans. The country is not center right.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:14 pm.
What Brent Bozell meant was:
.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:15 pm>>..“about 20 political strategists and social and fiscal conservative leaders met” to discuss the future of the movement at the home of Brent Bozell..<<
Brent Bozell? F***ing BRENT BOZEWLL?
ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you! Thank you!
The wingnuts obviously want to keep losing, being marginalized, pointed to and laughed at.
Man, that made my day. Thanks, TP!
November 7th, 2008 at 4:16 pmBrent Bozell is a self-appointed media watchdog who hates liberalism and liberals, and who will do whatever he can to promote conservatism and conservatives, even though both of those have proven disastrous for the ocuntry.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:17 pmIs that a new world record for contradicting oneself?
Enquiring minds want to know.
snark
November 7th, 2008 at 4:17 pm>>..“about 20 political strategists and social and fiscal conservative leaders met” to discuss the future of the movement at the home of Brent Bozell..<<
Afterward they got high and watched Superbad but he made them promise not to tell…
November 7th, 2008 at 4:17 pmHussein Toasterhead, great minds think alike. President Elect Obama’s a Marist, Lenninist, Stalinist, Neo-Trotskyite, Quasi-Socialist, Anarchist. Now he’s revealed in all his Closet Conservative Glory! How is it that their heads don’t explode? These mental gyrations should drive any normal, sane person absolutly Mad! Oh, wait, we’re talking about Bozell here. Never mind.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:18 pmImpeach, while There’s Still Time!
.
TEN TRILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT = FISCAL CONSERVATIVE?
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!1111111
.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:19 pm… met” to discuss the future of the movement at the home of Brent Bozell, …
hey TP – you left out a VERY important word in that sentence:
s u m m e r
“at the summer home of” some d0uchebag…
well, so i’ve heard, and thought i remembered reading earlier…
November 7th, 2008 at 4:22 pmBozell is a sasshole, plain and simple. He really reached through the bottom of the barrel of excuses for his party’s drubbing. Saying Obama ran right of center is the equivalent of saying that McCain ran as a moderate Republican. Bozo-ell just wants to hold Obama’s feet to the fire in the vain hope that he won’t reverse the lunacy of the Bush years.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:23 pmokay so you can spell it with an 0 bu not an O. That’s so friggin ridiculous. Has anyone ever an alyzed the filter for common sense?
November 7th, 2008 at 4:26 pmThe spin from the right while they adjust to the taste of sour grapes is so absurd it’s downright laughable.
Let’s check the pulse of this “center-right” nation.
53% of Americans are pro-choice.
78% of Americans believe global warming is a problem, and 61% believe the United States should be doing more about it.
58% of Americans oppose a national ban on same-sex marriage.
78% of Americans believe gays should be allowed to serve in our military, and 75% believe people who are openly gay should be allowed to do so.
54% of Americans support stricter gun laws than the ones we have now (but not a ban on gun ownership).
85% of Americans believe we need to make major changes in our health care system or redo it completely. 66% of Americans believe the government should guarantee coverage for all Americans, even if it means raising taxes.
73% of Americans believe we should be doing research on embryonic stem cells, and 53% believe the government should fund such research.
58% of Americans believe that wealth in this country should be more evenly distributed than it is now.
64% of Americans are against the war in Iraq, with 54% of Americans believing we should never have started it.
These are just a few of the things I was able to pull off pollingreport.com. It appears that more Americans support these progressive issues than oppose them. If these talking heads want us to believe this country is really “center-right”, they need to provide some hard evidence. Merely squawking it 24/7 isn’t going to make it so.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:29 pmjust once I want to be rejuvenated after entering the Carousel which is moderation…
November 7th, 2008 at 4:29 pmyep, dbadass… i found that out the other day…
November 7th, 2008 at 4:29 pmi pointed it out then, for future reference…
funny filter…
Ehhhhhh….. What ?
November 7th, 2008 at 4:32 pmThese guys are so funny. Over at freerepublic they are
going nuts over FOX dissing Scarah and are staging a boycott.
One poster said:
What’s the purpose behind these attacks on Sarah Palin from Fox News correspondent Carl Cameron?
It’s not a secret that Rupert Murdoch donated to Hilary Clinton’s campaign.
It’s not a secret that 81% of Fox News reporters and employees donate money to the Democratic party – that’s a crazy high number for an allegedly conservative TV channel.
It’s no secret to the gay community that Shepard Smith is “one” of them.
It’s no secret that Fox News has really hot chicks and I’m tuning in just to look at them!
We’re on our own as conservatives and we need to be prepared for the next couple of years.
29 posted on Thursday, November 06, 2008 11:11:57 AM by Doug4McCain (I’m sorry for supporting McCain, but I still love Sarah Palin.)
And at redstate is so PO’d their starting “Operation Leper”
“I pledge to publicly expose and actively oppose all of John McCain’s staffers smearing Sarah Palin and will oppose any candidate who hires these people for a 2012 race. These smear artists must become political lepers for the good of the country and the Republican Party.”
Ha Ha.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:35 pmThese wingnuts need to get on the same script – if one short day you find out that Obama was born in multiple places, is a Christian, Muslim, and an Atheist, and is socialist, Marxists, Communist, Nazi, and a Reaganite Conservative! All in one man! Amazing!
November 7th, 2008 at 4:36 pmmisshusseinmolly; Good post.
Also, here in Michigan, voters just approved the use of medical marijuana and in favor of stem-cell research.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:37 pmHe doesn’t realize that ordinary people don’t distinguish between “moderate republican, republican, neocon, liberal, progressie, etc.”
People voted on issues that matter to them. McCain didn’t have a solution for anything. Its that simple.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:44 pmI was just reading over at free republic, ROFLMFAO!
They are eating their own. Ripping on Frum for being Canadian. LOL!
November 7th, 2008 at 4:49 pmMANDATE!!!!!!
Sorry, Brent. I didn’t mean to get you excited.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:49 pmI’m sorry I have to question that transcript, All I heard was “waaaaaaaaaaah wasssssssssssssssh wassssssssssh sniff” coming from Bozo, none of that stuff written in the transcript.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:49 pmfreeman – “d0uche” … zero, not O… filter bait other wise…
November 7th, 2008 at 4:49 pmNow, that’s funny!!
November 7th, 2008 at 4:49 pmAs the Bush/Republican fascist regime collapses and comes to an ignimous (sic) end before our very eyes, in real time, the GOP talking heads are on a very bad trip, flipping out, spinning so fast that they seemingly contradict themselves in the matter of a few seconds (just like Old man McCain was a couple of months ago, contradicting the next morning, what he had spouted out the day before)… It’s all over now, baby Bush crime family, you must leave now… Actual unrigged elections reject the GOP message of hate, fear, greed, racism and stupidity…
November 7th, 2008 at 4:50 pmThat’s priceless, Uncle Ho. :D
November 7th, 2008 at 4:51 pmmissmolly,
Add to your list…
… The people of the State of Washington decided in favor of Doctor Assisted Suicide.
You know the ChristoFascists are going berzerk on that one, too.
Pro life, pro life, pro life… Send more troops, support the troops, not my son… drop more bombs, save that fetus, prevent the ability to decide how the deathly ill wish to die.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:57 pmAnd all this spinning, imploding wacko commentary doesn’t have the odor of the meltdown of the NeoCons and most of the Repug Party?
God, I do love that smell!!!!!
November 7th, 2008 at 5:03 pmThe best thing for the Republican party would be to distance themselves from the likes of Brent Bozell. This man is emblematic of the desire to impose a lifestyle on others, which, clearly is an idea that does not resonate with American voters. It would be better for the Republicans to jettison these idiots, and better for America to have two viable political parties that have the best interests of *everyone* at heart to keep each other honest.
That said, I think a lot of people are missing what Bozell is trying to say. He says two things, This was a moderate Republican against a liberal, left-wing Democrat and Barack Obama won as a conservative.
As per the first quote, I think it is easy to see from his voting record that Obama is a ‘left-wing Democrat.’ Maybe not #1 like the National Journal would have us believe, but definetly somewhere in the top 15 ‘left’ most Senators. (Source, http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/31/625886.aspx )
With that established, Bozell says Obama won as a conservative, which is a bit of an exaggeration. Obama, like any candidate who wants to win the Presidency in a center-something country, campaigned with more centrist policies and centrist rhetoric than is consistent with his voting record.
So yes, while voters poll and like some of the progressive agenda, I would agree with Bozell’s comment that this is not a wholesale mandate of progressivism. Overall Bozell is still a windbag, bad for the Republicans, bad for the country, but this time his comments are only minorly off base.
Now, lets let Progressivism run its course for four years. The past two elections have definetly given Democrats the power to implement their plans and test them out. If in four years, the country likes what it sees and the Democrats do not lose more than a couple Senate seats and a handful of House seats, then I will say the Democrats have the mandate for progressive change.
November 7th, 2008 at 5:04 pmWhatever happened to the ACORN meme–or did even the Republicans realize it was just too damn stupid to fly?
I did see a dozen or so Mickey Mouses at my polling place. But I live in Austin, TX.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBoOqysiLFo
November 7th, 2008 at 5:06 pmThere must be really scratching their heads as to the MA vote relative to income tax…
November 7th, 2008 at 5:12 pmZooey; thanks. If you want some fun, go to freerepublic, redstate, and other reichwing sites. Watching the snakes biting each other for their blowout on election day is funnier than hell.
Get some popcorn and soda first though.
November 7th, 2008 at 5:12 pmBoz-who????
November 7th, 2008 at 5:12 pmupside; remember, a rose by any other name smells just as sweet. :-)
November 7th, 2008 at 5:13 pmOMG, these people are having a nervous breakdown. This is hilarious.
November 7th, 2008 at 5:15 pmUncle Ho, I just don’t have the stomach for it. I appreciate your reports from the front. :-D
November 7th, 2008 at 5:19 pmZooey, you are such a finicky eater…
November 7th, 2008 at 5:21 pmMaybe Blowzell and his sidekicks can come up with some positive things,like “A Contract on Conservatives”
As in we’re dead, Ha ha ha!
November 7th, 2008 at 5:45 pmi think bozell is making a distinction between obama “the candidate” (conservative) and obama “the senator” (liberal). there is some truth to this idea, but bozell didn’t properly express it.
and if obama ran as a reaganite, then i want some record of bozell saying that during the campaign. i really doubt such record exists.
November 7th, 2008 at 6:16 pmThey’re not even trying to make sense any more….
Cheers,
November 7th, 2008 at 6:23 pmNews people – if a “Conservative” says this kind of crap on the air, ask them why they didn’t mention this DURING the campaign?
November 7th, 2008 at 6:29 pmRepubs, Bozell seems perfectly prepared to lead you over another cliff that takes off at the bottom of the one you just splattered yourselves on. By all means, follow away.
November 7th, 2008 at 9:48 pmUncle Ho Says:
I was just reading over at free republic, ROFLMFAO!
They are eating their own. Ripping on Frum for being Canadian. LOL!
_____________
Heh… I’ve been over there a couple of times of late just for the same reason, Unk, and yer right… best show in town, and totally free… I suggest some chilled bottles of pale ale, corn chips and some nice guac. Very, very entertaining…
November 7th, 2008 at 9:58 pmThe same argument could have been made regarding the Democratic Party in 1980. It wasn’t that the country suddenly became conservative, most of Reagan’s social conservative views were not supported by a majority of citizens. It was just that a similar constellation of factors existed then as now. The protracted Iran hostage crisis being equivalent to the Iraqi war and in the public mind marked by a similar degree of incompetence, the oil crisis, high interest rates and stagflation equivalent to the current economic debacle, all contributed to Carter’s Malaise Speech in 1979, which doomed his presidency to failure. Reagan presented the hopeful, optimist alternative, his version of yes we can. Liberals could have rightfully said that America was still a center left country and the American people were still fundamentally liberal. Both the current Republican apologetics and those of the Democrats in the 1980s are fundamentally wrong. Americans are basically non-ideological and will go with the feel good candidate no matter left or right. The Democrats can ride this wave for several more election cycles if they play their cards right.
November 7th, 2008 at 11:42 pmIa Bozo–oops, I mean Bozell–bipolar?
November 7th, 2008 at 11:55 pmFuçk Bozoell !!
¶ AIO
November 8th, 2008 at 4:11 amBrent Bozell? Didn’t you mean Brent Bozo?
November 8th, 2008 at 6:41 amObama’s a Reaganite? B-b-b-but… McCain told me he was a socialist marxist communist! Now I’m all confused!
Oh wait, I get it. He’s saying Reagan was a socialist. Aha!
November 8th, 2008 at 7:37 amOMG. We are watching the five stages.
This one is called “Bargaining”
By 2012 it will be “Acceptance”
OB12
November 8th, 2008 at 2:01 pmPlease try to stay ahead of the wingnut agenda people. When they say Obama won the election by running a center-right campaign, they’re setting up their ability to denounce and decry the policies he institutes when he becomes President.
The wingnuts will be able to say in a year that Obama didn’t keep his promises to the American people. They’ll say he’s a liar and was dishonest about his campaign platform since he ran ‘center-right’ but has leftist, radical policies. The constant stream of abuse will begin shortly after he takes office so you had better believe they’re setting things up now.
It’s not difficult to think one step ahead of the wingnuts, they are, after all, predictable. Sites like ThinkProgress should make sure they’re doing it though, and not being simply being reactionary. Anticipating the next load of bull the wingnuts will spew means you can disarm them before their guns are loaded — which is a much more powerful response than debunking their hogwash once it’s already part of the public consciousness.
November 8th, 2008 at 2:12 pmHey Brent:
November 9th, 2008 at 3:26 pmI choose not to have tv but I intend to watch the Simpsons, Family Guy, and whatever other shit I think will piss you off tonight on Hulu…
Isn’t anyone in charge of the talking points any more?
November 10th, 2008 at 11:10 am