[beaconstudios]

but hatred for the government isn't an archetypal right-wing sentiment. Perhaps a libertarian one, to which I would agree (or maybe not hatred, more distrust). Is your main point that the GP said "modern left" where they should have said "progressive" or "far-left"?

[RodericDay]

There's no real way of describing the Clintons as "left" that would satisfy any self-described leftist. They just have no connection whatsoever to any historical leftist movement.

[beaconstudios]

that depends entirely on what you would call "left". She may not be an activist but her espoused policies were very similar to Obama's implemented policies, and she was on his cabinet after all. You can call her an opportunist for sure, but you couldn't reasonably call her a conservative.

[RodericDay]

Obama is also not a leftist. Sanders, Nina Turner or Keith Ellison are the bare minimum that one could consider a leftist.

[beaconstudios]

I think there's a difference between someone who is left, and someone who is a leftist. Leftist tends to be used to label communists and socialists, where "the left" generally includes progressives, social democrats, and so on. It's a pretty subjective concept though and easy to split hairs on. You could reasonably call Obama or Clinton centrists.

[boyce]

In Britain or Germany they both would be more moderate conservatives

[beaconstudios]

I think Obama's campaign rhetoric would have been in line with the British Labour Party, but his actual policies were definitely moderate conservative. Probably similar to Cameron.