A few days ago I wrote a diary pointing out that Barack Obama's failed attempt to reach out to Republicans for bi-partisan support was not the end of the world. Obama obviously had a "plan B" that I characterized as a trap that Obama was busily closing on the Republicans. I feel like the passage of a stimulus bill by the Senate the same day and the overwhelmingly positive reaction to Obama's road trip in support of the stimulus bill bears out my analysis. Barack Obama has sufficient political power to pass a stimulus bill over the heads of the obstructionist Republicans.
The stimulus bill, having been passed by both the Senate and the House, went to conference committee. The conference committee turned the bill around in an incredibly short amount of time, though there were some hiccups in the announcement of its approval by the House and Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid seemed to jump the gun on Nancy Pelosi, and may have stepped on some toes, but not in a way that would seriously impede the progress of this important legislation. But the stimulus bill's progress in Congress has sparked rancorous attacks on the president by so-called "progressive Democrats." Is there any merit to this attack? Has Barack Obama slighted progressive Democrats?