What do you people want from Obama? He has pursued his agenda tirelessly, but all people around here seem to be able to do is criticize.
I mean, think about it.
When Obama caves on big issues, like healthcare reform or Afghanistan, its nothing but complaints.
But even when he's only caving on small issues, like trying to appoint a token troglodyte Republican to his cabinet, you just can't seem to give him a break.
When he caves to foes - like the Chinese and Germans (enjoying the full-throated support of domestic Republicans) by failing to aggressively defend the need for more stimulus and/or quantitative easing, you give him a hard time.
Yet when he caves to friends - like those in his own party who crippled the financial reform legislation - its still nothing but negativity around here.
I mean, what could you possibly want from the man?
When he caves reactively, as with failing to actually close Guantanamo, you criticize him mercilessly.
Yet when he tries to cave proactively, like with the federal employee pay freeze, you're still all over him.
When he caves stupidly, as with his offshore oil-drilling policy announcement days ahead of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, you blast him.
But when he caves cleverly, as in the trade deal with South Korea, you still show him no love.
What do we need? Hourly diaries recycling all those feel-good photographs from 2008?
When Obama caves by surrendering on important principles, like failing to pursue justice for illegal torture under the Bush Administration, or prosecuting the banksters who blew up the global economy in 2008, he gets nothing but criticism.
However, even when he's only caving pragmatically, as with failing to push a solution to the disastrous Bush tax cuts before the election, people here still savage him.
No wonder he's fed up with all you ideological purists of the angry professional left.
Seriously - think about it. When Obama caves to industry lobbies - be it surrendering on the public option to health insurance titans before the healthcare debate even began, 86-ing the energy bill to avoid a fight with big oil and big coal, or hog-tying Elizabeth Warren to please Wall Street - DKos is full of nothing but complaint, after complaint, after complaint.
Yet when he caves to working class voters, youth voters, environmental activists, and the labor unions (who played a huge role in getting him elected) like when... like when... well, you know. I'm sure David Gregory could make up an example. Anyway, I’m sure someone would criticize him then, too.
When Obama has finished his innovative new caving on reform of the tax code, he will likely go down in history as one of the greatest Republican presidents ever.
And you people will deserve none of the credit. And all of the blame.