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Foes Tag Obama With L-Word

Posted Mar 26, 08 8:59 AM CDT in Politics 

(Newser) – Barack Obama's campaign says the candidate is beyond labels but the senator's critics think they've found one that fits: liberal. The McCain campaign has branded the candidate an "old-style liberal," while the Clintonites say Obama's positions could alienate moderates—and wonder how the candidate National Journal rated as 2007's most liberal senator could be a unifier.

The liberal tag has sunk Democratic hopefuls before—most recently John Kerry—but many think Obama is the right candidate for a race where the old labels don't quite cover the issues. "What's conservative about invading Iraq? What's conservative about a $400 billion deficit?" asked 1988 Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, also branded with the L-word. "The terms have lost their meaning."  

Source Washington Post

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Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., shakes hands with supporters before he speaks at a town hall meeting in Medford, Ore., Saturday, March 22, 2008.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Republicans successfully branded White House hopeful Mike Dukakis a liberal in 1988, helping George H. W. Bush win the presidential race.   (Magnum Photos)
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks with reporters during a brief impromptu interview given while he was taking some days off from his campaign in the US Virgin Islands.   (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., speaks at a town hall meeting in Medford, Ore., Saturday, March 22, 2008.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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Barack Obama  • Hillary Clinton  • John McCain  • John Kerry  • conservative  • liberal  • moderate  • Michael Dukakis


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