In the past month, we saw the Obama administration finally go to war. Unfortunately, the fight they chose to pick wasn't with Republicans, it was with Democrats and liberals. First was the disgraceful Sherrod firing. The administration worried about how Fox News would portray the story, never mind fact-checking, and had her canned, Vilsack's claims notwithstanding. When it turned out that the story was totally false, Robert Gibbs said he didn't blame the media:
How did we get into -- how did we not ask the right questions; how did you all not ask the right questions; how did other people not as the right questions, and go from there. I'm not faulting the media, but I -- no, no, hold on. I'm not here to fault the media. I've apologized on behalf of the administration. ... We made a mistake on that and I think many involved in this made mistakes.
But of course, he is blaming the media in this quote. This is not even to mention that the response to her firing was tardy.
But Gibbs' tirade this morning shows that the administration knows they are down and out. And to whom did Gibbs direct his words? Toward the only demographic which has a majority approval rating for the administration:
I hear these people saying he's like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested. I mean, it's crazy. ... They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. That’s not reality... They wouldn’t be satisfied if Dennis Kucinich was president.
This is absurd on many levels. Obama, on civil rights, has taken many troubling stances. His use of Bagram Air Base is well known, as is his continuation of extraordinary renditions and his attempt to extend the National Security Letters to obtain email addresses without a warrant. Now, it is absurd to say that Obama is worse than Bush, insomuch as it appears the current administration isn't torturing anybody. But them saying he's being "like" Bush indicates they aren't lucid? I don't think so.
And no, I don't think liberals demanded single-payer or nothing else. It's true that some were out to "kill the bill", the Affordable Care Act, because it wasn't single payer. But some of us were baffled by it not being a negotiation point. Why not start with single-payer, and negotiate down to a public option or a medicare buyin? This is basic negotiation tactics. Moreover, the administration on many occasions said they would support a bill without a public option, rather than fighting for it. This in itself made sure Max Baucus wouldn't try too hard to get it in. And indeed, there was no real fight over it on the floor.
With the announcement that Robert Byrd's vacated senate seat is not safe, due to Joe Manchin being investigated by federal prosecutors, it appears that Republicans have a good, nay very good chance, of retaking the senate. Their chances to retake the House are quite good, I'd say better than even. So, can I see why the administration is exasperated? Maybe. But this is not a good time.
The administration has lost it, and Republicans are poised to retake both houses of congress. This isn't good.