The latest about Mr. Posner and the moral equivalence between Arizona’s enforcement of federal immigration law and human-rights violations in China (even leaving aside the multi-million body count of its past Communist leaders) reminds us why Obama will have trouble getting back to an approval rating higher than 50 percent.
Let’s assume that he can more or less act presidential, keep a low profile, and avoid controversy, hoping that the people will continue to like him personally and will see him in control during mini-crises. Even so, there are so many polarizing figures in his cabinet, drawn from the extremes of the Democratic party, that at least one of them can go off on almost any given day: If not a Van Jones or an Anita Dunn, then a Michael Posner — if not praise of Chairman Mao, then throwing Arizona under the bus to the Chinese delegation.
Arizona was emblematic — once the new law was deemed illiberal by fiat, no one in the administration deigned to actually read the statute, but all in lockstep felt an urge to caricature it, as proof of their own progressive fides.
In other words, Obama has populated his administration with more presentable versions of the Bill Ayers/Rev. Wright culture of Chicago, in which casual deprecation of the U.S. is almost de rigueur and second nature — hence the surprise of these wounded fawns when others are taken aback at their casual musings. It has now been three years of “downright mean country,” “cling to guns or religion,” and “spread the wealth,” and these statements are starting to add up. We get the message — already.