The Hot File

Thomas B. Edsall points out that Clinton won in 1992 by staying consistently centrist throughout his campaign: shifting seemlessly in message from primary to general.  Does that mean, given Obama’s alliance with far left on Iraq, it’s too late for Obama to move to the center?

From Thomas B. Edsall:

“Clinton won the presidency in 1992 with a political gameplan developed over many years — a so-called Southern governor’s strategy — that stressed “ending welfare as we know it,” coupling “rights” with “responsibilities,” and granting priority to those who “work hard and play by the rules.” Clinton set out to define his candidacy as independent of interest group liberalism, and, while campaigning, de-emphasized the more extreme and contentious elements of the rights revolution. Clinton maintained that stance through election day.”