[Dusty]

Originally Posted by Broadsword2004

I disagree with Sigaba that Obama is just a self-serving politician. That is more Romney IMO. Obama is a genuine leftist. That said, I disagree with Dusty on Obama being a Marxist. A Marxist doesn't believe in liberal democracy or any kind of private property ownership whatsoever. Remember, there are all kinds of leftist: pacifists and warmongers, nationalist socialists versus internationalist socialists, believers in liberal democracy versus believers in a "dictatorship of the proletariat," etc...George Orwell was a socialist. But he was no Marxist.

IMO, I see Obama as a classic European-style social democrat. Not an outright socialist, but believes in a much larger role for government in society then what has been the norm in America. He'd fit in perfectly with Britain's Labour party as it was during much of the 20th century, or in one of the leftwing parties of the Scandinavian countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, etc...), or with France's Socialist party.

Regarding Romney, I think Romney's problem is that he is not a genuine conservative, so he sounds like cardboard in trying to talk like a conservative. He does not sound like a man who is well-versed in conservatism or conservative policies, but rather just as a politician who made the decision to run as a Republican and now must try to sound like a conservative.

Good points.