Politics: The Case Against Obama's Liberal Critics

You might not have seen Andrew Sullivan's lengthy takedown of Obama critics on the left and the right -- or you may not have agreed with his assessment -- but it was one of the big thought pieces of the week and is worth considering if just for a moment.  In essence, Sullivan's cover story (How Obama's Long Game Will Outsmart His Critics) argues that Obama has been much stronger on liberal and progressive issues than he's being given credit for, and that progressive supporters just don't understand the limits of what a President can do or the patience that's required to get things done.  He also points to several accomplishments that Obama critics tend to forget or ignore when they are wailing and gnashing their teeth.  (Sullivan doesn't specifically mention the $100B for education in the stimulus or the Edujobs bill, but I'd add it and the dismantling of NCLB to the list.)  Die-hard Obama critics won't be persuaded by any of this, of course, and in some ways it makes me crazy that Obama has wasted so much time and money mollifying teachers a small set of whom are, it often seems to me, beyond any hope of mollification. But for those of you out there still able to absorb information or hold nuanced views, it's some food for thought.  Rhetoric-wise, Obama's support for reform priorities like charter schools has been much louder than his support for traditional public schools.  Substance-wise (dollar-wise), he's done much the opposite.