Obama had a chance to rebuild trust in government and he blew it

This fait accompli was avoidable. President Obama had a brief window. The public did not suddenly trust government. But the market crash meant they no longer knew what to trust. Polls captured a public willing to give big government a (little) chance.

A progressive test case could follow. The public was, however, clearly between Obama and Reagan’s government. Logic dictated the right case was crucial. It must meet the times. Otherwise the precedent could go awry.

The White House chose healthcare first. The recession gave the public no choice. The economy and jobs dominated American anxieties. This was the critical divergence. Healthcare was the wrong war because it was the wrong time for this war. The flawed stimulus was Obama’s only economic fight. The great jobs bill never came. Liberals missed their moment.