Why Obama Faces Grumbling From the Left
Some of his actions have unsettled liberals, but it's the economy that could undermine Obama's support
Democratic strategists are concerned that some of President Obama's recent policy decisions may end his honeymoon with his party's liberal activists. "His problem will be, how can he convince the left to let him be pragmatic?" says a prominent Obama supporter.
Obama has unsettled liberals by delaying his promised withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by a few months and by defending some of the Bush administration's antiterrorism policies, including the protection of "state secrets" in a way that some liberals believe goes too far. Some liberals are also upset at what they consider the administration's waffling on whether the Justice Department should prosecute senior Bush administration officials who authorized harsh interrogation techniques or whether a special commission should investigate the matter.
"Overall, the irony is we have more troops now in Iraq and Afghanistan than we did under Bush and the deficit has doubled," says the Obama supporter.
He adds that Obama's problems will be even worse if the economy fails to improve in the next few months. At that point, everyday Americans and people on the left may not give him the benefit of the doubt anymore. A prominent Obama advocate says, "He's getting a pass now, but at the end of the summer, people will say, 'Why doesn't my brother have a job yet?' "
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Reader Comments
btg missouri
Chris Petty has it right. I fear for our country!!!
Grumbling from the LEFT?
Well, let's see. MR. Obama HAS basically taken over the US banking system and automotive industry, undermined OUR security forces by telling OUR enemies exactly what we will not do, ignored or attempted to discredit ANY opposing opinion going as far as to lable veterans as a "threat", created DEBT at a rate unprecedented in history (including pre-WW2 Germany), limited domestic energy production, embraced the other world dictators, raised taxes and of course apologized for the last 200 years of American history.
GEE, what's not to love?
Obama pragmatism
I am an Obama supporter and I believe the lieral faction of the Democrats in congress are just as detrimental to ability of President Obama to get the policies thru congress as the Republicans due to their continued stubborness in their desire for revenge against the previous administration. They lack common sense when the continue to attack them for revenge sake. We need to lower the narrative and the attacks. We want to have President Oama to succeed.
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