Democrats are now against Obama—which means, however the congressional elections turn out, that the Obama agenda is finished

Kimberley Strassel writes in the WSJ:

As for campaigning, Mr. Obama failed to warn Democrats that—thanks to the agenda he was asking them to pass—by September he’d be upside-down in his approval on most issues, and not much help. Instead of a president to help them, Democrats have found a president to run against. And it isn’t George W. Bush….

This is where today’s exodus [of Democrats from Obama] will really be felt—after the election. The president still has a to-do list. Yet the more this election becomes about the toxicity of his “accomplishments,” the less ability Mr. Obama has to command a caucus. Republicans will be hunting for votes to block and reverse, and some liberated Democrats may feel happy to help.

Bill Clinton dealt with the 1994 massacre by moving right and triangulating. It is unclear whether the ideological Mr. Obama has the ability to follow suit. What is clear is that some big changes are now necessary. The Obama heyday is officially over.

Strassel’s phrase—“the toxicity of his ‘accomplishments’ “—perfectly sums up the strange situation in which Obama finds himself. Presidents—or at least embattled and unpopular presidents—naturally need to point to their accomplishments as president in order to prove the worth of their leadership. But the only examples that embattled Obama can give of his accomplishments as president are the very things that the country hates.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at September 16, 2010 02:57 PM | Send