On Economic Policy, the White House Is Its Own Worst Enemy
Voters may still trust Republicans more than Democrats on the issues, but their net disapproval of the administration’s initiatives points to a larger political problem.
His own most formidable foe.
Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty Images
The path of US politics over the past 10 years is scarcely believable — and keeps getting weirder. A miraculously successful amateur politician, now half a year into his second term in the White House, isn’t content to take his wins and count his achievements. Instead, he seems eager to bring the ceiling down on his own head. Meantime, his career-politician opponents aren’t just failing to hold him to account, they are doing what they can to shield him from falling debris.
Forgive the median voter for being disgusted, bewildered or both. If systemic political failure is possible, this must surely be what it looks like.