The great irony of Barack Obama’s political rise is that it depended on what turned out to be his single biggest political miscalculation. From the moment he appeared on a national stage — in his 2004 “there is not a liberal America and a conservative America” speech — he held himself out as the leader who could transcend the partisan divide and win over Republicans. …
All of that seems very long ago, doesn’t it?
Mr. Obama trounced the Republicans last week with a Hillaryesque strategy of holding firm and winning an argument, not by finding common ground. [cont.]
David Leonhardt, New York Times