Has Obama Been Playing Possum?
Many progressives, including this writer, have been very angry with the President about his passive responses to Republican initiatives. He has often appeared to take the attitude: “You guys tell me what you want and I’ll go along with a few modifications in order to appear middle-of-the-road.”
That’s how it has looked to a lot of us, especially when it came to budget and tax issues. But maybe we’ve been wrong — or at least not totally right.
Maybe Mr. Obama is simply a far more savvy politician than we’ve given him credit for. Maybe he has just been waiting for Republicans to badly overplay their hand, ready to come alive and pounce when they did so.
He plays a mighty good possum. And Republicans have enjoyed taking advantage of it The greatest advantage accruing to the haughtily aggressive Tea Party fringe that came to prominence only after the victors claiming to be progressives surged to power in the 2008 elections and then failed to advance a truly progressive agenda, opening the door to a right-wing populist counter surge.
Mr. Obama seemed inclined to knuckle under to these people completely. They thought they read the man perfectly — they would say they won’t budge and he would. Always. Except… maybe he was just doing a political possum number.
Maybe the Empire (aka this Administration) is now striking back. Maybe, after all, this President has (you’ll forgive the expression) a titanium spine when it comes to at least a few things that are important to progressives.
Or maybe someone in an Administration that has often seemed deaf to happenings in the world beyond the Beltway has finally noticed that a progressive wave is a’building out here. You saw it in the ferocious opposition to Rep. Ryan’s Medicare plans. In the recalls in Wisconsin. In the falling popularity of Governor Christie in New Jersey who cut benefits for teachers while vetoing a millionaires’ surtax.
It’s doubtful at this juncture whether Mr. Obama will ever again be the darling of progressives on a host of important issues. But he might perhaps gain our respect as a savvy pol who knows when enough is enough from a fringe group that has well understood the anger and disappointment of the American people, but has only wacky ideological notions about how to make things better.
More from this writer at http://blog.wallstreetpoet.com
8 Responses to “Has Obama Been Playing Possum?”
“How can great minds be produced in a country where the test of a great mind is agreeing in the opinions of small minds?” -John Stuart Mill
Obama sometimes conceding to reality (after being forced)? And perhaps even sometimes displaying some propriety, so as not to repel independent and intelligent voters before 2012? (We’ll still likely be repelled; the only question is if the GOP repels us more.)
I suspect many of these “progressives” [sic] have been resentful since their first experiencing at not being given their magic ponies as they wanted or were led to believe.
Don’t worry — Obama has been in campaign mode already, once more proving P.T. Barnum correct (or trying to, again), so just enjoy his press conferences and other statements in public, kids.
“Obama playing possum” implies there was some sort of grand plan a la the rope-a-dope. I think he’s just winging it.
I tend to agree with DaGoat… although I’d prefer to think there was actually a pro-progressive plan behind the acquiescense.
Generally, someone can keep a front up for, at most, a few months. I think we’ve been seeing the “real” Obama for a long time.
On the other hand, it’s time to put up a front for the campaign, and there’s no doubt that he’s started his campaign.
I’d call it playing to the base, especially since congress has probably figured out where the debt ceiling talks are going, and is more or less playing out a professional wrestling match.
Obama may finally be getting concerned about losing progressives (I hope) but they won’t be going back into the fold unless they are convinced the concern is genuine.
@SteveK
Can you define liberal and conservative as Mill defined them?