Matthew Continetti challenges the right to work with Obama:
The rapidity with which the president has been moving to the center-right on fiscal issues is nothing short of amazing. In the aftermath of the midterm election, not only has President Obama frozen nonmilitary federal pay. He’s inked a trade deal with South Korea. He’s welcomed the budget-cutting recommendations of his fiscal commission. He’s negotiated a deal on taxes that would extend current rates for another two years. He’s told reporters that he wants to work on a pro-growth tax reform. At this rate, it won’t be long before Obama endorses Paul Ryan’s Roadmap for America’s Future and starts calling for a return to the gold standard.
Okay, we may be dreaming on that last part. But the larger question is this: Are conservatives and Republicans willing to take yes for an answer?
Consider the deal on current tax rates. The left is howling that Obama has abandoned his principles and capitulated to the right. Outraged House Democrats are demanding changes to the agreement before they hold a vote. The left is angry because President Obama has reversed a long-held position and agreed to a truce in the class war. What’s more, he’s spent the last week fighting with many of his fellow liberals, calling them unrealistic, unserious, and sanctimonious.
Music to our ears. And yet some conservatives seem unable to enjoy the melody.
But what if the melody guides Obama to re-election? There's the rub.