Obama Aide Bites Left, Left Bites Back

Obama Deputy Campaign Manager Steve Hildebrand published a kind of open letter to Barack Obama's "progressive critics" today in Huffpo that has drawn immediate criticism. Here's Hildebrand:

The point I'm making here is that our new president, the Congress and all Americans must come together to solve these problems. This is not a time for the left wing of our Party to draw conclusions about the Cabinet and White House appointments that President-Elect Obama is making. Some believe the appointments generally aren't progressive enough. Having worked with former Senator Obama for the last two years, I can tell you, that isn't the way he thinks and it's not likely the way he will lead. The problems I mentioned above and the many I didn't, suggest that our president surround himself with the most qualified people to address these challenges. After all, he was elected to be the president of all the people - not just those on the left.

David Sirota took immediate offense, and also employed my favorite emergency services vehicle:

But far more important than that is Hildebrand firing up the whaaaaaaaambulance to whine and cry and moan about "the left." Really, what is with top Democrats explicitly attacking "the left wing of the Democratic Party" in Fox News-style talking points? Why is every substantive, non-partisan, non-ideological question of pragmatism from progressives almost automatically portrayed as some sort of super-Trotsky-ite, ideological and wholly inappropriate demand for Obama to be a president "just for those on the left?"

Now, we're having fun.

I agree with Sirota here. First of all, the worst criticism of Obama thus far has come from his Democratic colleagues in Congress. As I pointed out last week, the cat herd can't even wait 'til he's sworn in before they start undercutting him. It is an unfortunate characteristic of Democratic elected officials to be right on policy, and inept on the politics.

I would also dispute the very notion that there is an actual, viable left wing to the Democratic Party. The Democratic faithful are all pretty much in accord on most major issues, with varying degrees of stridency. There aren't really any marginal positions being pushed by anyone influential. This country has been so right-wing for so long, people have forgotten what a reasonable position looks like.

A certain amount of measured criticism, aimed at delivering the message that a total lockout of progressives in Obama's cabinet won't go over, is not at all out of line. This is not to say that progressives want to make Dennis Kucinich the Secretary of Defense.

Having said that, slapping at the imaginary left could be seen as smart politics, as well. Obama has a vested interest in keeping the kum ba yah going as long as possible, because it prevents him from having to spend any of his own political capital. As long as it's he and the "pragmatists" against the world, he has the wind at his back.

The rubber will meet the road eventually, as the Republicans will try to oppose things like universal healthcare, and Obama is wise to conserve his strength for where it is needed most.

But he needs to be mindful that doing well doesn't become too great a hindrance to doing good.