Quote:
Originally Posted by Rohirrim
I'm glad I voted for Rocky Anderson. I don't trust Obama. I still believe he will sell progressives down the road in exchange for some kind of "grand bargain" with the Right. Yes, I know he met with them the other day and assured them he is on their side. He did that in 2008 too. Right before his COS Rahm Emanuel told progressives (and I quote) to, "...go **** themselves."
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Obama is a pragmatist. Principles are great, but governance is about deal making, and that means you have to give ground to get things done. Take the Affordable Health Care Act. Progressives howl because it isn't single-payer. Well, Obama had a choice. Stand his ground on single-payer and suffer the same fate as the Clintons while getting nothing done, or come up with a more conservative proposal that the Blue Dogs would agree to vote for. He chose to comprise to get something done. The AHCA is not perfect, but it's a lot better than the status quo, and I think Obama views it as the first incremental step needed to make towards total reform. That's the problem with the approach you want the President to take. It won't get anything done. Reform will come in ripples, not waves. He's doing the right thing. That's not "selling progressives down the road," it's being a pragmatic realist.