David Brooks makes some good points in this New York Times column, but his closing statement — that events “have pushed Barack Obama off to the left” and now it’s time “to rebalance” — is bizarrely out of step with reality.
Nothing has pushed President Obama “off to the left.” Just the reverse, in fact. Obama has used events to push the country to the left, at least policy-wise.
Consider that the White House has used the current economic turmoil as justification for nearly all of its sweeping liberal policies — the stimulus bill, cash for clunkers, even a health-care overhaul, to name a few.
Obama did not have to be “pushed” into these initiatives. He was eager to go there. The only factor that might stand in his way is spiraling support among the American people, a point Brooks makes in his column that appears to tally with political reality:
You can?t pass the most important domestic reform in a generation when the majority of voters think you are on the wrong path. To do so would be a sign of unmitigated arrogance. If Obama agrees to use reconciliation, he will permanently affix himself to the liberal wing of his party and permanently alienate independents. He will be president of 35 percent of the country ? and good luck getting anything done after that.
