FRANKS SEES THE SAME THING AS ATRIOS

Atrios has often pointed out that whenever the Villagers blather about the glories of bi-patisanship or centrism, they really mean "don't govern as a real liberal." Of course, for them it's fine for the GOP to be uncompromising and Thomas Franks points out that Tom Delay realized this:

And what happens when a strong-minded movement encounters a politician who acts as though the truth always lies halfway between his own followers and the other side? The dolorous annals of Clinton suggest an answer, in particular the chapters on Government Shutdown and Impeachment.

That's why it is so obviously preferable to be part of the movement that doesn't compromise easily than to depend on the one that has developed a cult of the almighty center. Even a conservative as ham-handed as former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay seems to understand this.

As he recounted in his 2007 memoirs, Republicans under his leadership learned "to start every policy initiative from as far to the political right as we could." The effect was to "move the center farther to the right," drawing the triangulating Clinton along with it.

The diehard (that may be redundant) movement conservatives will almost never support Obama, so he really has nothing to lose by at least trying to fake being a real liberal.