Is Obama even a Democrat?

I thought about writing a post with that title... listing all the policy positions Obama has staked out since the 2010 mid-terms, and how almost all of them are the positions of a conservative Republican, not a Democrat.

But I am thinking better of it. After last night's disappointing showing in Wisconsin (yes, the politically savvy will understand that two out of six recall wins in heavily Republican districts is actually remarkable progress, but the media takeaway is "Democrats fail to take Wisconsin Senate back from GOP)... it's increasingly clear to me that while those of us who adhere to core Democratic values MUST put all the pressure we can on the president to change course and recognize that it is precisely by defending those principles that Obama will gain over the support of independents he needs to be re-elected, we also need to recognize that one of the lessons to be learned from the more politically competent Republicans is that we must direct our energies to defeating them and their ideas, not to tearing down our own leaders.

So, my criticisms of Obama and other Democrats who seem to think that drifting ever rightward towards the ephemeral, or rather, non-existent, "magic Center" is a recipe for victory, will be directed to convincing them that, in fact, it is the opposite: a virtual guarantee of defeat.