Why Obama isn’t caving
The roots of his new toughness are rooted in the nature of his convincing November win over Mitt Romney. Obama was carried to the finish line by supporters after his epic flop at the Denver debate. That seeded in him a greater sense of confidence and deepened his resolve not to be rolled by a recalcitrant GOP, as he was during the bitter 2011 fight over the debt ceiling, according to interviews with staffers and friends for “The End of the Line,” an eBook published in collaboration between POLITICO and Random House.
After his 2008 win, he talked a lot about bipartisanship. This time he’s determined to squeeze it out of Republicans. He believes he owes that to the people who voted for him.
“There’s no doubt that he found this one to be sweeter than the last one,” said one of Obama’s top aides. “It was weighing on him how much was at stake, how much of his entire legacy was on the line. His legacy had not been determined by the previous four years; that wouldn’t matter to history. It was all about the outcome on Election Day.”
With that outcome now in the history books, the people around the president now see him as a Democratic Reagan, a resilient and popular figure who can unify the country — if only the dead-enders will give him a chance.
Blowback
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1) because he doesn’t have to fake bipartisan since he’s not running for re-election.
2) because the GOP always caves, anyway.
Wethal on December 23, 2012 at 3:35 PM
Seriously?
Wow.
tru2tx on December 23, 2012 at 3:39 PM
No way will I EVER think of bho as Reagan, NEVER! I loved Reagan, I detest bho with all my heart!
L
letget on December 23, 2012 at 3:39 PM
His legacy will be increasing the national debt from $10T to $20T in just 8 years. He will be reviled for the rest of history for that alone. “Obama” is a name that will live on in infamy, synonymous with profligate spending and borrowing in the name of a false compassion, destroying a country in one short administration. We’ll spend the next 30 years working to recover from the reign of Obama.
Paul-Cincy on December 23, 2012 at 3:45 PM
Really ? Reagan was a thug ?
burrata on December 23, 2012 at 3:47 PM
Unify? After he’s spent years villifying success and white people?
darwin on December 23, 2012 at 3:50 PM
I expect this is what Jarrett is whispering in his ear.
Wethal on December 23, 2012 at 3:51 PM
So, basically, the people around the president are blowing smoke up his skirt.
rcpjr on December 23, 2012 at 3:55 PM
Does this sound very familiar to anyone else? We are have been constantly regaled for the last four years about how Obama is now beginning to take an entirely new tack, which sounds remarkably similar to his previous approach.
HitNRun on December 23, 2012 at 3:58 PM
Everytime I read a story like this about bho, I think of the guy in the movie ‘Dune’. This guy was the top guy, fat, had nasty sores all over him, was kept alive by numerous tubes, and ALL those around him told him how beautiful, wonderful he was, there was not another like him! I’m not suggesting bho has all this guy had, but those around bho fills his head with he is the best, no one can beat him, he will be king/dictator of the US? At least that is how I see bho and all those who fill his brain dead head with such as others from the past in history that took over a country.
L
letget on December 23, 2012 at 4:01 PM
That was some fine butt smooching. I bet the White House approved it rather quickly.
NeoKong on December 23, 2012 at 4:06 PM
Math. You can’t beat it forever.
Mark1971 on December 23, 2012 at 4:17 PM
I think I’m going to puke. Just how many polyps did politico find while having their head up his butt?
deimos on December 23, 2012 at 4:17 PM
I was a bitter clinger, then I was a teabagger and now I’m a deadender. I used to be a citizen.
vityas on December 23, 2012 at 4:19 PM
It’s simpler – he was/is/will be a charlatanic thug.
Enjoy the fooling, fools.
Schadenfreude on December 23, 2012 at 4:22 PM
Ron Reagan.
xblade on December 23, 2012 at 4:25 PM
“I have a gift, Harry.”
Wethal on December 23, 2012 at 4:27 PM
… because Boehner and his RINOs are doing all the caving?
Give him a conservative warrior and it will quickly change to…
“Why is Obama caving?”
TheRightMan on December 23, 2012 at 4:27 PM
Four more years of the Obama Depression.
rbj on December 23, 2012 at 4:35 PM
Reviled by whom? There are untold millions throughout the world who hate the United States. When he’s done with the presidency, those people will praise him for the all of damage he will have done to this country, and he will relish every bit of that praise.
In the eyes of our enemies, “Obama” will be the name of the killer of the “Great Satan.”
All hope is not lost, but in order to fight this, we have to realize how he and the rest of our enemies view his role and objectives.
86 on December 23, 2012 at 4:39 PM
it may seem ridiculous to us, but to leftists, he is indeed the second coming of FDR who has delivered the long awaited for dream of public health care — it isn’t quite the public option they really want, but given time that will come. But to their minds, they’ve won the basic argument.
Obama has given them:
-health care
-normalization of gay rights
-marginalization of religion
what more can leftists ask for? Of course they see him as Reagan-esque because he is.
And don’t forget, the left despises Reagan
theblackcommenter on December 23, 2012 at 4:41 PM
The narcissistic underdeveloped eternal teenager is NOT allowed to even spit on RR’s shoes.
Schadenfreude on December 23, 2012 at 4:43 PM
Obama knows the GOP will cave before he even opens his mouth.
Like Rush says, if they can’t get him to own his own dismal record, what can they do?
Valiant on December 23, 2012 at 4:45 PM
Gun confiscation and destruction of the middle class.
Cheers!
Schadenfreude on December 23, 2012 at 4:45 PM
theblackcommenter on December 23, 2012 at 4:41 PM
Yeah and Go Tim Scott, the man who earned where he is!!!
Schadenfreude on December 23, 2012 at 4:46 PM
Obama won his second election by a narrower margin than in his first election, which hasn’t happened since Andrew Jackson. Reagan won his second election by a landslide. Obama and his lackeys aren’t doing themselves any favors by pretending that he’s popular like Reagan was. Conservatives are only in disarray becasue there is no one who will stand up to Obama right now. If such a person will emerge, then we’ll see what popularity is. Until then, the best we’re doing is Boehner, and so we have nowhere to go but up.
86 on December 23, 2012 at 4:55 PM
Good grief, I have read Lives of the Saints that are less fulsome in their praise.
Central to this whole summary is further evidence of O’s self-absorption.
Obysmal may be adored by one half of the voters, but he did not win over the other half. He hardly makes a winning case for accepting his vision to the latter. The outcome of the election was not a landslide for him, nor was it a mandate for imposing his policies.
onlineanalyst on December 23, 2012 at 6:11 PM