Re: "To a leftist..."
Tell you what, if you're really "balanced," tell me one area of economic activity where you think the Federal government should have no controlling role, or on the other hand, an area where you think it currently has too much. So far, every trial balloon I've pointed out on some new control over our lives has gotten only approval.
Obama talks big about private enterprise, "competition," and other capitalist buzzwords. He has no idea what he's saying.
The current levels of government control over our economic system would have appalled Americans of fifty years ago. The "middle ground," as I pointed out, has been moving steadily leftward for years.