Barack Obama won the election by running to the center and convincing many Americans that he was a moderate liberal, not a far-left guy.
But that was then.
Now the president seems to be intimidated by the radical left, which is urging him to champion extremely liberal causes. Guys like Michael Moore are actually lecturing the president:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL MOORE, DIRECTOR: You are one of us. You come from us. This is not the time to dessert us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.
MOORE: This is not the time to be the representative for the private health insurance industry. We need you to stand up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stand up.
MOORE: Stand up. Be bold. Be brave. Be strong. We've got your back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got it.
MOORE: And we want universal health care for every single American, and we want it controlled in a single-payer system like the Medicare and the VA and all the other socialized medicine that we have in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Moore is running around promoting his new film, which is an attack on capitalism. Of course to get the movie financed, Moore had to use the capitalistic system. Life is strange.
So what must President Obama think when he hears people like Moore telling him what to do? I'd love to ask the president that question.
In addition to socialized medicine, the far left wants out of Afghanistan and the president seems vexed on what to do there. Is he listening to the radical voices on foreign policy? I hope not.
The nutty far-left group Center for American Progress, run by Obama adviser John Podesta, is calling for a big tax hike, a value-added tax to fund entitlements. Of course, Barack Obama promised not to raise taxes on working Americans and a VAT would do that, but the radical left does not care.
After the ACORN scandal broke and Congress cut off funding, the president was asked what he thought. He said he didn't know much about it. Hard to believe. He should have excoriated ACORN, but he did not.
At this point, it is impossible to know exactly how much influence the committed left has with the president. But based on health care and his tentative Afghan and Iran positions, it looks like Barack Obama is listening to the Podestas and Moores of the world.
If that is true, he will be a one-term president. No question.
And that's "The Memo."
Pinheads & Patriots
In a wild case of strange political bedfellows, Newt Gingrich and Al Sharpton are out promoting better education for America. As part of that, Rev. Sharpton showed up at a wrestling event:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rev. Al, such a pleasure to have him here hosting "Monday Night Raw" here tonight.
REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Thank you. Well, I'll tell you, this is the most elaborate introduction I ever got in my life. It's a tough crowd, but let me tell you something. One of the reasons I'm excited about being here tonight, we're going to face tough crowds all over the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Patriot? You make the call.
Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots"!
On the pinhead front, there are some very strange people representing us in Congress. Here's one of them:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ALAN GRAYSON, D-FLA.: If you get sick in America, this is what the Republicans want you to do. If you get sick, America, the Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly. That's right. The Republicans want you to die quickly if you get sick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Congressman Alan Grayson may be a pinhead.
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