The Case for Obama and Against Liberal Despair - Mike Lofgren - The Atlantic

I think the Weimar Republic collapsed ... because there were not enough citizens. That's the lesson I have learned. Citizens cannot leave politics just to politicians.
-- Gunter Grass

In The Case for Obama and Against Liberal Despair, Mike Lofgren makes the case for Obama in a way that resonates for me. He lists some objections from liberals to Obama (including the idea that Democrats must win by taking on GOP ideas), but counters with nuggets like these:

• The most compelling argument to support Obama has nothing directly to do with him or his performance in office, but goes to the heart of what self-government is supposed to mean. Since Obama's inauguration, Republicans have engaged in an unprecedented -- in my lifetime, anyway -- campaign of obstruction, feral negativity, and brinksmanship.... To reward a party for such obstructionism would be like rewarding the Southern fire eaters of antebellum congresses for their efforts at shutting down the debate over slavery with the gag rule. 

 Obama, playing his cards right, would have exposed this strategy, but he failed to do so. It is up to the electorate to uphold compromise and reasonableness. Not that we're great about typically supporting either.