It’s getting late for Obama to worry about his left flank.
All the scuttlebutt in Washington is about whether he can get his progressive base behind him again and reignite the enthusiasm that was so palpable in 2008.
It’s a tough sell.
For instance, if you’re primarily a peace activist, it’s hard to summon enthusiasm for the Democrats after Obama tripled the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Or if civil liberties is your bag, Obama’s FBI raids at home and renditions abroad don’t inspire.
And if health care’s your big issue, Obama’s compromises are still hard to swallow, especially after Tom Daschle’s acknowledgement, which he has since rescinded, that Obama took the public option off the table to mollify the health care industry.
And for young people, who turned out in 2008 to make history, it’s just not the same this time around, and on a lot of things, the new boss doesn’t seem to act much differently than the old boss.
There are a few positive signs, though.
Rahm Emanuel is gone.
Larry Summers is going.
And Elizabeth Warren is now in the White House as a Presidential adviser.
Maybe these changes herald a new commitment by Obama to move left, but who knows?
He occasionally talks progressive, but he walks down the center line.
If you liked this story by Matthew Rothschild, the editor of The Progressive magazine, check out his article Republicans Cry “Class Warfare” When They’re Winning the War.”
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