FLAIT

I couldn't believe this poll where Daily Kos readers, staunch liberals, gave President Obama an 86% approval rating. Among Democrats, Gallop has Obama's approval number at 83%.

"Democrats" are indeed different from Daily Kos readers, but both numbers are exceedingly high.

I don't understand how liberals can give Obama so much support when he's not only governed from the right, but has yet to cross the political center line onto the liberal side a single time. For instance:

He's cut taxes, increased military spending, (got spooked by Scott Brown's Senate victory in January and) called for freezing discretionary spending (in a recession), stocked his economic team with "deregulating" Wall St. cronies who are responsible for its collapse (who have - surprise, surprise - failed to re-regulate Wall St.), didn't nationalize the banks (and he could/should have, at least a couple), sent more troops to Afghanistan, twice, is conducting a secret CIA/Blackwater war in Pakistan that includes dropping bombs by drones, (June insert: and a secret war in Yemen and running secret military operations in Africa, Asia and the Mid-East), swept Bush Administration war crimes under the rug, either continued or gone further with Bush's policies on detainees that includes indefinite and preventative detention, and using the "states secrets" excuse to keep public information on torture and administration law breaking secret (August insert: more here. I recommend reading it), continued Bush's warrantless wiretapping program, will renew the Patriot Act without privacy protections, nominated a moderate for the Supreme Court (July insert: and then nominated a total blank slate in Eleana Kagan because he didn't want a fight even though Democrats hold 59 Senate seats [Kagan would have been a great choice, if Democrats only held 41 Senate seats!]. If a Republican president had 59 Republican senators, he would nominate the youngest "Robert Bork," with the record to back it up, he could find!), supported tort reform, took "single payer" off the table, cut a secret deal with Big Pharma, cut a secret deal with the insurance companies to ensure there wouldn't be a public option, pushed through what's basically a market-based Republican/Mitt Romney health care bill, (August insert: on pace to cut Social Security [and it's not even necessary]), signed the credit card legislation that had a provision allowing guns in federal parks, endorsed nuclear power, cleared the way for offshore drilling, (November insert: increased deportation of illegal immigrants to record levels), supports charter schools, appeased Bart Stupak on abortion, dragged his feet on repealing "don't ask, don't tell," allowed Joe Lieberman to remain in the Democratic Caucus, and has either appeased or tried to appease Republicans on issue after issue (the next time Obama appeases liberals it'll be the first time).

(May insert: Ian Welsh lists Obama's conservative actions, here.)

The only time he's even looked to the left was when he called for Bush's tax cuts to expire.

The country hasn't had real liberal leadership since Harry Truman and FDR. We've seen what it can accomplish. Since then, we've seen what conservatism has done. So how will we ever get the progressive change the country desperately needs when liberals approve of a conservative Democrat DINO in such overwhelming numbers, when the opportunity was there to "go left"?

Perhaps, the left is in denial and just doesn't want to admit how poor of a job Obama is doing. If that's the case, then the left is just as phony as the right was when they kept approving of George Bush (to the left's incredulousness).

Hey, if it's wrong when they do it, then it's wrong when we do it too. Actually more so because we're supposed to be smarter and more honest then they are.

May insert: John Cole goes after this sort of Democratic/liberal hypocrisy here.

May insert: David Sirota and Ian Welch on Democratic hypocrisy and Obama's move to the right here.

September insert: Here's what Obama thinks of liberals.

November insert: A sister post is here.