Many people here think that Obama caves at every moment he can. That the GOP can ask whatever it wants and Obama will give it to them on a silver platter. That's he not liberal in any sense of the word. That he coddles Wall Street and believes Social Security is okay to be cut. But I just have one question: where do you get these ideas?
Obama is not as liberal as many of us want. That is true. I won't refute that. But people seem to think that he is so weak, he doesn't even know what's good for him politically. Do you know why I think he has better political skills than you do? He went from Illinois state representative to one of the most productive presidents in decades within 5 years. You did not. That doesn't happen by blind luck.
Some of you just assume that he'll go along with the GOP's repeal, just to be "bipartisan". It's assumed that Obama will just do it to show how bipartisan he is. But let me ask you something; has that happened? Can you point to a bill that Obama supported that he hated and got nothing out of? The tax deal extended unemployment benefits, and that was something that he wanted, so it doesn't count. Can you name a time when Obama said, "You know, this bill goes against everything I promised I would do, and will undo all the hard work I did, but the GOP wants it, so I guess I have to." Has anything remotely close to that ever happened?
Take the drive to end the CFPA. Tom Donahue wants the GOP to get rid of it, and some of you doubted that Obama wouldn't just throw up his hands and agree. Why the fuck would he do that? For that to happen, the bill would have to pass the House, the Senate, and be approved by him. There aren't enough votes for a veto override, and Obama wants to keep it. Therefore, Obama would veto it. Why would you think he would do otherwise? To be nice? When has he done that?
A lot of people here seem to get worked up over the fact that he is hiring Clinton-era staff for his cabinet. Well, so what? If I recall, Bill Clinton was a very popular and productive president. Sure, a lot of deregulation took place, but it wasn't his idea. Remember, the GOP had control of the House and Senate, and Clinton was trying to be much more centrist than Obama is.
They mention William Daley, about how he's not very liberal, and he will control Obama's agenda. No, he won't. The Chief of Staff doesn't do that. The chief of staff is not "King of All who Pass Through the White House". He is powerful, but Obama can still make decisions for himself.
Once or twice, his rhetoric about working together does make me shaky. But his actions don't match those words. He has been a very partisan president, passing many bills on strictly party-line votes. He makes fun of the GOP and criticizes them very often. That doesn't sound like someone who will give the GOP everything it wants.
All in all, where are you people getting the idea that the president caves for no reason? Name one event where he could have easily gotten what he wanted, and decided to just not do it.