Aw: Everyone's unhappy with Obama

Given his supporters’ “extravagant unrealism,” says the Brookings Institution’s William Galston, “there was no way he could fulfill all those promises — not in his first year, not in his first term, not ever.” Obama’s decision to put all his chips on health care guaranteed that those with competing priorities would be frustrated. The unexpected length of the health-care fight only aggravated that reaction.

Galston points to another factor underlying unhappiness among Democratic Party constituencies: the “asymmetrical polarization” of the political parties. Unlike the GOP, which has consolidated its conservatism, the Democratic Party is ideologically diverse. The Democratic base lacks an ideological majority. Some of the party’s core voters are destined to be disappointed some of the time…

Obama faces the worst of three worlds. Conservatives see him as the reincarnation of Karl Marx. Liberals are frustrated by what they perceive as one sellout or another. And independents, disgusted by partisan bickering, worried about the economy and nervous about health reform, don’t perceive any moderation.