Buyer’s Remorse Yet?

I’m not going to say “I told you so” to the folks who voted for Obama in the primaries but….I told you so.

For progressive Obama supporters, things aren’t looking all that promising in terms of “change we can believe in”, health care [ie. insurance] reform notwithstanding. It didn’t help when Rahm Emanuel referred to the strategy of liberal advocacy groups as “retarded” because they were advocating for the specific health reform policies which Obama had promised during his campaign. As time wears on a lot of those promises have gone the way of the dodo bird, which is why the tea party claims of an impending socialist takeover are laughable at best.

While many Democratic Presidents often blame the “real world” and “pragmatism” for abandoning the progressive principles on which they campaigned, lets be honest, a lot of it just giving in to the beltway conventional wisdom and mainstream media’s love of tossing around the word liberal as though it’s an epithet. To be fair, Obama is certainly not the only Democrat in America’s history to toss liberals over the side of the boat.

So, who in the administration does everyone like and respect?

Secretary Clinton’s poll numbers have been stratospheric pretty much from day one and here’s one more poll to cement her status as the last great hope for this administration right now:

…And a new CNN/Opinion Research Poll has just revealed that even today Americans like that other Democrat more and dislike that other Democrat less than they do the incumbent Democratic president.

That other Democrat is, of course, Hillary Clinton, who fought and scratched her way mightily but unsuccessfully through those bitter, belligerent Democratic primaries and caucuses of 2008. The former first lady and current secretary of State professes no intra-mural interest in challenging her White House boss, as she must as long as she’s an administration team member.

The published CNN article focused on an Obama matchup with Sarah Palin. But within the data were Favorable/Unfavorable ratings for numerous prominent politicians of both parties. Here are the surprising new poll numbers for Clinton:

61% now think favorably of the former senator and only 35% unfavorably, both numbers improved from the 56% and 40% she had during the Democratic National Convention in late August of 2008.
An early 2012 political button

It is, on one level, an impressive turnaround for the once polarizing political figure.

And on another level it’s a comment on the polarity of the political climate presided over by someone who promised to bring people together and change Washington’s harsh partisan tone, another postponed campaign vow like eliminating Guantanamo and “Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell.”

By comparison, in the same CNN poll, 57% of Americans now think favorably of Obama, down from 78% just before his inauguration; and 41% now think unfavorably of him, more than twice his unfavorable rating of early 2009.

Clinton’s numbers also beat all other both Democrats and Republicans in the new poll.

I have a friendly suggestion for Mr. Obama- he may want to be “pragmatic” and acknowledge the reality of the situation and nominate a true progressive for the Supreme Court to replace the Warren Court icon, John Paul Stevens. The GOP will try to filibuster any nominee, no matter how moderate or liberal or whatever, so why not actually nominate someone with the stature and vision to be like Thurgood Marshall, John Paul Stevens or Joseph Brennan? In other words, if there is going to be a fight regardless, why not actually put someone on the Court who isn’t going to continue with the last 10+ years of out of control conservative judicial activism? And note to the MSM- conservatives can be judicial activists too and in fact, right now we have an incredibly activist Court (just check out the recentCitizens Unitedcase). Just because they are better and throwing meaningless soundbites such as “we want someone who faithfully interprets the Constitution and not a liberal who legislates from the bench, blah, blah blah.” In other words, Obama should try to shore up the base instead of constantly selling them out in return for zero Republican support.

I would love Hillary Clinton to run in 2012 or 2016 but I certainly would respect any decision she makes irrespective of what it is- she’s worked hard and served her country non-stop for decades.

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