Obama says Nixon was more liberal than he was.
In response to the more conservative sectors of the country, who labeled him a "socialist" for his progressive policies, Barack Obama said that Republican presidents like Nixon, considered a conservative icon, and Roosevelt had been more liberal, as well as the Democrat Lyndon Johnson.
From Agência Brasil
US President Barack Obama said that former President Richard Nixon was, "in many respects," more liberal than he has been in the White House. He cited the Republican's environmental regulations as an example.
"In many ways, Nixon was more liberal than I have been. He created the Environmental Protection Agency and initiated a whole package of regulations that have allowed us to keep our air and water clean," Obama said in an interview with Fox News.
In the United States, the term "progressive Democrat" refers to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Since taking office, Obama has been labeled "liberal" and "socialist" by the more conservative sectors of the country because of his progressive policies.
When asked if he considered himself the most liberal president in the United States, Obama denied it, saying that Republican presidents like Nixon, considered a conservative icon, and Roosevelt had been more liberal, as well as the Democrat Lyndon Johnson.
Obama's statements were released last night (3), when Fox presented the second part of the interview.
*With information from the Lusa news agency.