Obama was an extremist. Trump is not.

lol umm ok

@Trajan61 Says you.

“...with a strong majority of both liberals and conservatives describing themselves as closer to the center than to the extremes.” Yes! But the problem is, both parties have been so demonized folks have backed away.. The Democrats, from decades of wrong-wing corporate-funded propaganda; the Republicans, by their deeds.

@maturin1919 I love him, actually...ha ha

I worked on George McGovern's campaign...

@thinktwice I worked for McGovern also. I was 14 when I shook Eugene McCarthy's hand. These gentlemen were not extremists, except compared to the loyal opposition.

Well put, it’s also interesting to note how, including Bernie's campaign, ‘all three’ played to inexperienced idealistic youth.. The nation is too vast, and too mired in conservative/ regressive ignorance to allow for the level of change we’d all love to see.

@Countrywoman No, they were not...and I hated Nixon...he was a creep and of low moral character...I was so against the Vietnam war and fighting hard for women's rights...my class was the first to get the vote at 18 and I have voted every election since then...not necessarily by party but by man...

I think we need a new group for liberals who are tired of losing elections. Like you guys, I was really excited about getting liberals in charge and getting rid of Nixon. It was heart-breaking to see one failure after another as first Hubert Humphrey got the Dem nomination and then Nixon getting elected and re-elected. Then it seemed like we'd get a decent person in for a while followed by 8 years of right-wing bigotry. So, much as I admire Bernie and AOC, I'd still prefer a more centrist candidate.

You might have to vote for a Republican.

@Trajan61 The recent Republicans I’ve had the opportunity to vote for are (or would have been) part of the problem, not the solution… The Republicans purged their party of moderates decades ago, I was one of them.. There’s only one issue I agree with them on … yet they can’t even get that right..

@Varn John McCain was a moderate in the Republican Party while Obama was on the left wing of the democrat party. People voted in the leftist probably because Bush left us in kind of bad shape. But McCain would have definitely been the better president.

@Trajan61 I’d not viewed Obama as ‘liberal’ as he was portrayed by the ..right wing media. Though (supreme court wise), he had his moments… As I’d occasionally rub shoulders with those on the left (future Bernie-bots), I’d constantly hear them badmouth Obama for ‘reaching out to Republicans’ or being ‘too moderate.’ They’d often toss in my face ‘how many more illegal immigrants he’d deported than Bush Jr'..

I liked Obama over McCain, I remember McCain’s main, if only concern in the Senate was more, and more - and more military spending.. Seemed like all he cared or knew about. And, I feared handing Congress and the Presidency over to the Republicans. I’ve actually preferred divided government, where moderation makes for thoughtful oversite. But anymore, with severe polarization ..that’s not happening.

@Varn McCain used to be a pretty decent sort but he sold out to the evangelicals in hopes of getting the nomination then cowardly sucked up to W even after they trashed his good name. And don't forget, he gave us Sarah Palin. I guess he had a couple of decent votes in the Senate and he hated Trump which were his only redeeming virtues as far as I can recall.