The normally sensible Clive Crook writes a handwringing column about how Obama is messing it all up:
Last year this centre elected Mr Obama and put Democrats in charge of both houses of Congress. This year it is switching sides in an unusually abrupt way. Polls have been saying this since the summer and the elections confirmed it. Independents voted against Democratic candidates two to one.
Crook argues that Obama is taking the country too far to the left, or at least that he's allowing Democrats in Congress to do so. But Crook provides no evidence that this explains the loss of independents from Obama's 2008 coalition. A much simpler and more likely explanation is that the economy is in a mess, and unemployment is still rising; in these circumstances it would be against every known political law if the incumbent's ratings were not falling, and independents were not jumping sides (I suspect Mr C has been over-impressed by the amount of noise generated by the angry right, and assumes that such ideological fervour is more widespread than it actually is).
He continues, exuding bracing optimism:
Health reform might still fail. Senate Democrats are developing a more moderate measure, though liberal enough on current plans to repel all Republicans and trouble their own centrists. There is talk now of delay until after Christmas. What the Senate produces must be merged with the House’s bill. So there is more to come of the wrangling that has already so dismayed the electorate.
Has Crook got a suggestion for a different way to make a law under the constitution?
Rallying the country behind health reform in the abstract has been the limit of the president’s ambition. It has not worked.
Um, it seems to be working OK, so far. When was the last time the House passed a health reform bill?
Mr Obama must take responsibility for an actual proposal and rally the country behind that.
In other words, the president must become a prime minister, pronto.
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