Is Obama Tough Enough? Perhaps Not

Robert Reich has a post on his blog that looks at the growing cynicism and disinterest among those who voted for Barack Obama for president. One of the big issues is that Obama seems unwilling to forcefully fight for programs and policies and allows the GOP spin machine to bulldoze its way over him and the Congressional Democrats with deliberate lies and untruths that go unchallenged. It is all very disheartening and I believe one of the main forces that is hurting the Democrat tickets in Virginia and New Jersey that face much watched elections in November. To date, despite a clear mandate for change, Obama and the Congressional Democrats have kissed the asses of GOP demagogues under the guise of "bipartisanship" and dilly dallied instead of enacting the legislation that they were elected to get passed. Watching it all is driving many Democrats - this one included - to disgust and a feeling that supporting Obama was a waste of time other than keeping Sarah "Bible Spice" Palin out of the office of the Vice presidency. Something needs to change and change quickly or else I see a major debacle for the Democrats shaping up in Virginia. Here are some highlights from Reich's post:

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Latest word from the White House is that the President still supports a public option but is also standing by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius's remark last weekend that a public insurance plan is "not the essential element" of health-care reform. So where, exactly, is the White House on the public option? Just about where it is on the question of whether it agreed with Big Pharma to bar Medicare from using its bargaining clout to get lower drug prices -- or didn't. In other words, we don't know.

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Universal health care is President Obama's biggest issue, and he needs strong public support if he's going to overcome the vested money interests in Washington. Which brings us to the question of where the people who voted for Obama stand on all this.

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My friend Sally also voted for Obama and still likes him, but she's increasingly upset about his policies. "He's giving away the store," she complains, pointing to his penchant for compromise. "He gave Wall Street $600 billion in bailouts and doesn't even want to regulate it, gave big polluters 85 percent of the cap-and-trade permits, and has promised the American Medical Association, Big Pharma, and private insurers whatever they want in return for their support of universal health care." Sally says she voted for Obama because he promised to change American politics, but she thinks corporate interests are more powerful than ever. Sally also doesn't see why Obama is so bent on bipartisanship.

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The widening gap between admiration for Obama and cynicism about his policies also reinforces passivity in Obama's base, which makes it even harder to advance a specific agenda. His presidential campaign strengthened the nation's political grass roots and spawned hope for a new era of public engagement, but Obama's reluctance to fight for any specifics is causing the base to lose interest. Neither the Freds who trust him nor the Sallies who have become cynical are motivated to do much of anything. But their activism is crucial. If it comes to a choice between trust and cynicism, America will never achieve lasting change.

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In my view, it looks increasingly likely that Obama and the Congressional Democrats are throwing away a perhaps once in a lifetime opportunity for systemic change - and if that happens, I believe the Democrats at booth the national and state levels will find themselves paying a huge price before it is all over.