Citing a recent poll showing a steep decline in the number of African Americans who believe that President Obama has helped the economy, Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune evaluates whether Obama is losing his voter base.
It is only in comparison to today's Republican Party, divided between its old-school establishment and its tea party zealots, that today's Democrats look unified.
In fact, as President Barack Obama prepares to face whomever the Grand Old Party nominates from its generous array of 2012 candidates, he needs to watch his back. A familiar faction is dragging down his approval ratings: disgruntled liberals.
For example, the Senate's only self-identified socialist, independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont, went so far in recent days as to suggest, "It would be a good idea if President Obama faced some primary opposition" to nudge him back into focusing on his base before the general election.
That's bold. Yet, significantly, Sanders was not offering himself to be that opposition. That's probably wise. Any serious candidate who runs against Obama in Democratic primaries runs the risk not only of losing but also dividing the party and increasing the chance of a Republican victory.
Read Clarence Page’s complete column at the Chicago Tribune.
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