A story in today’s issue of The New York Times offers a glimpse into the dangers the Obama administration faces as he attempts to move forward, as many in the nation begin to lose faith in the promise he offered.
While I believe he remains popular, his standing with the public has been in flux, dependent not only on what has been awful coverage of the political moment and the bad faith of the opposition party, but also some of his own flaws — his cautiousness, his commitment to bipartisanship at the expense of action.
His willingness to leave the healthcare debate in the hands of Congress — more specifically, in the hands of so-called Blue Dog Democrats and conservative Democrats like Max Baucus — left liberals negotiating from a position of weakness, with the more progressive reforms being taken off the table before negotiations started.
We are still at war and it appears that we may soon see an escalation in Afghanistan, a move that would shatter his connection to the progressive wing of his party and those elements of the left that had signed on. Escalation also would drive away many independents, leaving his coalition in tatters and his presidency looking far too much like the last months of the Johnson administration.
There is time to turn this around, to act boldly and move the nation in a more humane direction, but he’s got to act quickly. There already is a palpable sense out there that the promises he made cannot be kept.
The
Hank Kalet 