I would say that Obama is just a tad to the right of center, and always has been. But he sounded left of center during the 2008 election, because that was what was needed at the time to get a lot of votes for the Democrats. The country had become very disillusioned with "right of center" politics during the Bush years, so it was time to tantalize them with a hint of left.

If you studied his actual policies, however, he was as Carol says, just a little right of center, whereas McCaine and Palin were WAY right of center. Way right of center was not going to win in that election. No chance.

My mother was a fervent Obama supporter (from outside the USA) during the election. She would get tears in her eyes listening to him. A lot of other Canadians felt the same way. Now she feels very disillusioned with him and says, "He's just like all the others."

As for Canadians in general, Obama still remains pretty popular with our populace. I think, in fact, that he is the best-liked politician in Canada by far....even though he's not here! ;-) Or maybe partly because of that?

People are astonished, however, that the US Congress would prefer to make a giant giveaway to the private health insurance industry by getting THEM millions more customers, instead of providing the entire American public with a universal public option such as exists in much of the rest of the world.