Obama really isn't a liberal. Moderate pragmatist would be my label. He seems like a liberal because the republicans are so extreme.
In European terms, he's about the same as David Cameron.
I'd say He is. I don't rate him by a politology textbook, but from what he's doing. He's supportive to gays, women etc. He's not supportive to religious dogmatism.
It seems that D. Cameron is in fact quite liberal too, althought He's member of Conservative party and plays in conservative dress.
There are two counterparting situations. 1. Society where everyone has a freedom for his/her individualism in widest sense of that word and this freedom ends only there where begins someone other's freedom. 2. Society where fates of people are drawn by privileged one(s) in advance.
Indeed these two extremes doesn't exist in real world, cos also in absolutely totalitary state are few people who find some way for an individualism, despite regim.
And also in most liberal states and societies live people who don't know what to do with that freedom.
But back to main thing. A politician is going way 1. or way 2. (please do no confuse with usual political distribution left-righ, - it's another bullshit, which says quite nothing) Way No.1 are liberals, way No.2 are conservatives.
Anyway, here in Czech Rep. we also have various politicians and parties. For exmple ODS - they call themselves
liberal-conservative, actually they are more
conservative at the moment. But one of their deputy chairmans Bohuslav Svoboda - Mayor of Prague is supportive to gays vocaly, also he gave official auspices for Prague Pride last year same as this year. When some bigots and facists critized him for that decision with arguing He's a member of conservative party, He told "I'm conservative, conservative of 21th century. So I support this festival of human rights cos I'm glad it happens in our city and it's absolutely consistent with my conservative attitude. We live in 21th century." Some of his critics in this case are members of "Strana svobodnych obcanu" - Party of free citizens,
they call themselfs liberals, but in fact they're liberals only from economic point of wiew. Beside it they are anti-gay, antifeminstic, antieuropean and pretty fascistic at all. Luckily they has nothing chance to be elected anywhere and get real power.
So pigeonholing of politicans by their mother Party is silly.
Two another examples: 1. times are changing, societies are in progress (at leas western ones, and maybe some other a little bit too). Read prgram of british liberal party from 1920 for example... from today's criteries it would be extremely conservative. 2. Vladimir Putin calls himself democratic politician.
So I always rate Czech and foregin politicians by their actions only.
