If you had to choose ONE, which candidate -- Obama or Romney -- REALLY leans the MOST -- IF ANY -- to the "center" of the current ideo-political divide in the U.S.A.?...Will you explain how you conclude your answer?

No argument from me about the parties and the division from the early days BUT they were not sandwiching themselves between communism and fascism as most people want to do today with their left wing / right wing labels.

Actually they aren't. If you look at the definition of a conservative vs a liberal, you will find that extremists leaning towards socialism, communism or even fascism are all components of the left. Each of those depend on govt control, which is what the left wingers want, more govt control to take care of the people. That doesn't mean there aren't right wing extremists. However, right wing extremists are no more republican than Obama is.

OK....we are in agreement still.

Obama is very far in left field.

Obama leans to the radical progressive left with his Marxist, Socialist mentality. Romney is definitely more centrist than I would like, but definitely the better man.

Gov. of Mass...bark

I would never vote for a class warfare share the poverty Marxist! Its really as simple as that!

Obama did not even fight for single payer, and compromised with Republicans on extending tax cuts for the rich even though those cuts have contributed immensely to the debt. And we are still in Afghanistan, and Gitmo is still open. Obama has compromised on everything. Romney, in contrast, wants to privatize Social Security, trade Medicare for vouchers and good wishes, and give the top 1% another $3 trillion in tax cuts. Romney wants to kill off the middle class.

LOL!I'm sorry,I just wasn't shovel ready for that!

Just because Obama did not "fight" for single payer, has no bearing on his lef-leaning desire FOR a single payer system...He has made it with multiple verifiable admissions on adio/video that he PREFERS a single payer healthcare system....And the stipulations in the law being ruled on in the SCOTUS is a move in that direction to NUDGE the U.S.A. into a evolved single payer system.

That is NO secret.

You say - "Obama has compromised on everything." -- If Obama has compromised on anything it is not out of DESIRE, but out of NO OTHER CHOICE...His representing party, the Democrat Party, have made political decisions AGAINST their own Progressive ideology, and Obama has gone with it for political reasons ONLY.

Gitmo is still open NOT because Obama campaigned that way in 2008, but because in all practicality, he has had not other choice.

I do not mind legitimate disagreement, but your comments are as deceiving as Obama's own teleprompted words.

Please do not come back, unless you want to continue to edit your comments within the same discussion box...And you are welcome to do that.

Romney has been a successful business man. He is a man with integrity. Romney is the one who will cut the deficit. Obama promised he was going to do it and he has failed. We need someone else to see if he will deliver on his promises.

But I still want Ron Paul

Then ask him out on a date then!

Romney leans most to the center, too-far IMO. I wish he was more conservative.

Obie is a left-wing Marxist.

....actually there is no leaning to the center. People lean away from center. obummer is a radical leftist ideologue . Basically a hardcore socialist. romney leans left too. But he does not have that socialist ideology. But if it is possible to "lean" towards the center. That would be the answer as to why conservative don't really like romney. He's leans toward the center which means he leans left and not to the right........

Romney is much less liberal than Obama, and he is much more liberal than most Republicans. I think that makes him more centrist by default.

Obama leans however the DNC wants him to lean......

Ha! Please! Owebama and his minions are so far around the left corner, the only thing they can see is the Rino Romney at the cross road. The Center for them is the other extreme.

he's not a socialist progressive like Obama or a far right extremist.

Obama doesn't even seem to know HOW to be an American, 20 years in Wright's "hate America" church helped solidify his anti American views. At least I believe Romney loves our country and won't try to destroy it.

"Obama doesn't even seem to know HOW to be an American,"

So true IMO.

Nor does he DESIRE to.

Romney, as this country is, is center right. Obama is far left and far to radical.

To Obama, the center doesn't exist.

he at least LIKES business

Obama has already been caught on open mic saying his second term will have less restrictions. His true colors would come out if he is re-elected.

Exactly, something he would not have to say if he were moving toward the center!

because he just DOES!! and always has...

The center of America is somewhat conservative

we know more about Romeney than we ever did about obummmer,

Romney doesn't follow the Right-Wing of the GOP. He'll pacify them, but I can confidently say we're not going to have a Santorum Theocracy with Mitt. Romney cares mostly about economic issues and foreign policy and is pretty middle of the road.

Far closer to the Center than the Commie in the White House.

At least, job creation will happen! 0bama is the job killer!

Romney Is An Ambidextrous Candidate & Dumbama Is A Commie Lunatic!
A Vote For Obama Is A Vote For The End Of America,Plain & Simple!

If you listen to the mainstream left-leaning media and the many young lefties blogging and tweeting then you might start to believe Obama is the centrist and Romney is some kind of capitalist tea-party extremist,
In reality?
Romney would well and easily be pretty much just a bit to the 'right' of center. Very much in line with most Americans and probably a little far to the 'left' for a lot of conservatives. But even still - well in the center.
In Reality?
Obama and this business about killing pipelines to appease radical enviro-marxist donor in San Francisco or getting involved in anti-Christian (anti-Catholic) legal manipulation schemes using Sandra Fluke's and then loading his White House with communists (some ACTUAL communists) but also well-radical leftist people and you have an extreme left-winger in Obama.
Yes, of course his whole deal is playing the 'everyman' who is all reasonable and affable. Uncle Obama is just a 'regular dude' and hey... he DID keep the Bush-Cheney military path right?

Romney is a solid conservative yes - but he is far more the ACTUAL center 'everyman' typical and well easily aligned and similar to the average American family and values, economic ideology etc. IMO

Do not know why he does ask him. Owebamy is so far left he makes the center look right.

Romney is very close to the center. Obama is WAAAAY left of center. At least Romney is to the right of it, albeit barely.

Obama's a leftist, Romney's a centrist. It's as simple as that......

he's not Obama.

I'd vote for ANYONE rather than vote for the liar-muslim-in-chief obama.....................