Barack Obama

BushCo. appeared moderate in his primary "No regime change type wars of agression"
Obama appeared moderate from the beginning "There are no red states or blue states only the United States.."

But that's where they veered.

Once Bush got in he thumbed his nose at the left. And vigorously pursued his neo-con PNAC agenda, while pampering his whacky Christos-fascist base to drown out voices of discontent. Forced out every moderate (the first was Paul O'Neil)

Once Obama got in he did not ignore the idiots on the right and also thumbed his nose at the left. His Chief of Staff called them "fucking retards". He decided he had to prove he wasn't just a lefty community organizer and bent over backwards to deliver the white flag to the frothing Republicans on the other side on issue after issue.

You know very well there was nothing but rapturous support from the left when he was first elected. He had the political capital and then some to ignore the backlash on FOX News (It didn't help because they just made up stuff to fill in for any REAL progressive stubbornness on his part) and push for things like Single Payer. If he would have achieved a Public Option...THAT is the moderate alternative most on the left would have accepted. In fact even if he had FOUGHT for it he would have garnered respect. At one time he said he would accept losing a second term to fight for what at the time was assumed, a public option.

You paint the moderate left as extremists. Because, in the case of healthcare, they only wanted what every other western democracy has - a Single Payer system....and even THEN were willing to accept a Public Option compromise. How is this extreme or anything like the birther/tea bagger racists onslaught from day one?

There was an incredible opportunity historically when he was elected to truly move the county forward, and Obama decided that it was to his benefit to play the Washington bubble game instead. You come across as rebuking those that can't just accept that at least he is better than having Dick Cheney as President. Sorry I expected a little more. Just because the GOP has slid off all the way into la la land to the far far right, does not mean Obama had to then slide right to fill in the gap behind them. He, and the country, missed a great opportunity. Of course many are hurt and sad about that.