Saturday, 15 Dec 2012 01:36 PM

By Sandy Fitzgerald

President Barack Obama believes he’s so mainstream, he would have been considered a moderate Republican back in Ronald Reagan’s 1980s.

The president, dismissing concerns that he favors socialism, said he doesn’t really know if there a lot of Cubans or Venezuelans, or Americans, for that matter, who think he favors socialism.

“What I believe in is a tax system that is fair,” Obama told the Spanish-language Univision network’s news.

“I don't think government can solve every problem. I think that we should make sure that we're helping young people go to school. We should make sure that our government is building good roads and bridges and hospitals and airports so that we have a good infrastructure.”

Obama also pushed his healthcare agenda, saying he believes that it “makes sense that everyone in America, as rich as this country is, shouldn't go bankrupt because someone gets sick.”

The president’s critics claim that his policies, including Obamacare, bailouts, the stimulus plans, and tax hikes for the wealthy all bear hallmarks of socialism.

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney ran a Spanish-language ad in Florida, linking Obama with notorious dictators Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro.

But Obama has worked to stop such criticism, saying he’s a large believer in the free market.

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