Establishment Losing Patience With Obama?

There are increasing signals that the Washington Democratic establishment is over it's honeymoon with President Obama. Even some in the admittedly left wing media are starting to question his general handling of things. His staff is getting slightly defensive. All of this is despite the fact the he remains popular with the public. However, that public opinion moves slowly is a double edged sword. While they may be slow to turn on the new President, they will also be slow to embrace him again if his luster fades.

Indeed, one of the criticisms of President Obama during the campaign was that once he was forced to make the difficult decisions, and put his rhetoric into practice, his supporting coalition would crumble. This seems to be happening. It is starting with the political class, and his largest challenge will be keeping it from spreading to the public. The spread is not a foregone conclusion. The public content will have more to do with the shape of the economy that policy squabbles.

The most dangerous part for the President is dealing with the "Blue-Dog" Democrats. Not only will they eventually reach the limit of their part loyalty, the voters they represent are easy pickings for the Republican insurgency. Navigating this constituency is key for the President's future success.