Obama's Surrender and a Progressive Path Forward

huffingtonpost.com — This year is, as every American must know by now, the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the Civil War; after a century and a half, the conflict still seems far from over. In fact, there is a striking similarity between the events that led up to the attack on Fort Sumter and the current war of the Right on the Federal Government. Now as then, an intransigent block of political and social reactionaries has committed itself to ending governance at the national level unless it is allowed to dictate policy in every particular. The response of President Obama to this challenge has been utterly different from that of President Lincoln. Obama let the reactionaries dictate the agenda for negotiations and this week he surrendered -- unconditionally, if the truth be told. He, understandably, was unwilling to confront the kind of crisis that a stronger response would have precipitated. Abraham Lincoln was not, and what ensued is instructive.

more »