That is the question, or more accurately, can President Obama be persuaded to fully support a progressive approach to policy? That is the key question in deciding whether criticisms of President Obama in this election season are “helpful” or not.
Despite commentary to the contrary, it is my sense that those who criticize Mr. Obama do not do so out of some demented animus toward the man. In fact, I submit that the criticism comes out of a respect for the President. Progressive critics think that he is a man with whom one can disagree sharply and still expect that he will, as is the responsibility of his office, prioritize the will of the public that those criticisms represent and adjust his official actions in accordance.
Much pie has been flung between factions of progressives lately about the correct course of action. Should we try to force Mr. Obama to change his policies now, when he needs something from us? Or, should we keep our powder dry until after the elections when a grateful re-elected president will reward our silence with a change of course in his administration?
As one who is a frequent critic of the President’s policies, who has taken his share of disapprobation from partisans of the President, I want to seriously ask a question:
When has passivity and failure to stand up for your principles, at key moments when “mandates” are being approved by the public at large, ever been a winning strategy for those principles?
Seriously?!?!
Do partisans of the President really feel that he is such a weak figure and poor politician that he cannot win an election if progressives stand up for their principles and attempt to drive his “mandate” to the left?
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