A Leadership Crisis or an Unsolvable Economic Crisis? Either Way, New Poll Shows 44 Base Crumbling

The political impasse in Washington, DC was never more clear than in the back to back statements by President Obama and Speaker of the House Boehner. It may well be that more centrist Democrats and Republicans could find common ground except for the GOP's Tea Party-elected candidates who have drawn the line at any tax increases. While it may be an economic crisis that is ungovernable, or a perfect storm of economic and political crises, the perception continues that their is a leadership crisis and that President Obama is unable to get  plus political  Now Andrew Malcolm in the LA Times reports that the President's Democratic Liberal base has crumbled. It would appear this has resulted from disaffection over the administration's failure to create jobs and the hundreds of billions given to corporations as part of the financial bail out that haven't delivered any results except for executives at the highest levels. More from Malcolm and the Pew Research Poll here  Left stalwarts such as Sen. Bernie Sanders from Vermont are calling for the President to stand for a primary challenge: "I think it would be a good idea if President Obama faced some primary opposition."


"This is political treason 469 days before a presidential election. Yes, yes, this is just a crusty old New England independent for now, albeit one who caucuses loyally with Harry Reid's Democratic posse.

"But while most of the media focuses on Republican Boehner and the tea party pressures on him to raise the debt limit not one Liberty dime, Sanders' mumblings are a useful reminder that hidden in the shadows of this left-handed presidency are militant progressives like Sanders who don't want to cut one Liberty dime of non-Pentagon spending.

Closely read the transcript of Obama's Monday statement on the debt talks stalemate. The full transcript is right here. And the full transcript of Boehner's response is right here.

And then there is the lament of many New Yorkers, who supported their Senator, and then remained loyal to the party in the general election. There is still Hope for Change and that 44, working behind the scenes, will yet pull a rabbit out of the hat, but still, some New Yorkers wonder on what coulda been: