Why the Left Elites Are Criticizing Obama

By Rosslyn Smith

I usually find that Eleanor Clift's columns are either predictably boring or infuriatingly ignorant. Her latest Why No Democrat Will Challenge Obama was actually fairly interesting, although perhaps not in a way the writer intended. First came the admission that although Obama is in deep political trouble he isn't likely to be challenged. Anyone contemplating a run against Obama must consider the consequences of not only defeating the president, but the likely repercussions to his or her own career. "If he were white, he would have a progressive challenger," says Bill Schneider of the Democratic group Third Way. Because Obama is this historic figure, challenging him would hamper the prospects of anyone who wants a future in elective Democratic politics. "Blacks would be deeply offended by a challenge, and that's no way to score points in the Democratic Party," says Schneider. African-Americans are the Democrats' most loyal constituency, and while they too are disappointed in what Obama has been able to accomplish, they are not going to abandon him. This.... (Read Full Article)