Bill Press - Buyer's Remorse

The author is a prominent Democrat.  His Democratic credentials are beyond reproach.  He is the one-time chair of the party in California and a well-known Democratic journalist.  He can represent the liberal Democratic critique of President Obama.

That critique is that Obama failed to live up to his mandate for change when he was elected in 2008.   He has failed to bring in the liberal Promised Land.  He has disappointed liberal Democrats.  Boo, hoo!  I don't buy it.  Obama let Progressives down?  Only if their expectations were too great.

Liberals like Press expected too much from the President.  They read into the man what they wanted him to be: a liberal shining knight in armor who could lead the party and the country to lofty new progressive heights.  The President didn't over-promise.  Democrats like the author over expected.

Obama wasted his clear mandate.  P. 25

I don't think so.

I choose to praise the President for what he has accomplished more than criticize him for what he hasn't accomplished.

His economic advisors picked Wall Street over the American people.  P. 32

Obama filled his economic team with ex-Clintonites.  His economic stimulus wasn't nearly enough, and his pivoted to deficit reduction before the economy had recovered.  How did he ever get reelected in 2012?  P. 43

The bottom line of this author's view is that President Obama accomplished great things, but he could have done a lot better. He didn't fight hard enough for Democratic values.   Maybe so.

The author blames Obama for the sequester cuts that we still live under.  I don't know.  P 59

The author disparages the President's success in reducing the budget deficit.  He is wrong to do so.  P. 62

The author gives grudging credit to the President for bringing the economy back, but he should have done better according to the author's analysis.  This is the essence of his thesis.  P. 71

Obama gets blame for economic inequality!  P. 72

In his favor the author reiterates the progressive assertion that health care is a right and not a privilege.  P. 74

Sorry, Mr. Press.  ACA was the best that could have been accomplished in 2010.  Single-payer was NOT going to happen.  P. 76

The President could have pushed for single-payer and failed which all agree would have happened and we would have had nothing,  or we could have and did  pass the ACA.  Which is the better outcome?  P. 88

The President may known in his heart that single-pay was the way to go, but half-baked is better than no bake.  P. 92

The author calls the ACA a missed opportunity.  Who is he trying to fool?  He seems to think that the President could have achieved single-payer if he had tried.  This is obviously not true.  P. 101

The author avers that on national security issues there is no difference between Bush and Obama.  So what?  I don't get too worked up on national security questions.  P. 137

The authors continuing diatribe gets tedious. The President has failed to follow-thru on immigration reform.  P. 165

Yet Obama has been the deporter in chief.  P. 173

Okay, so this liberal thinks Obama fell short of what he COULD have accomplished.  I give the President the benefit of the doubt.  It would good to have this perspective though.

Is it possible that some of Obama's behavior is explained below?


  You may recall that [at the RT conference] I cited a secondhand report from a very reliable source who told me that his source was at a small gathering where President Obama was talking to well-heeled supporters. There was a lot of criticism to the effect, “You’re supposed to be a progressive. We put you in there and gave you a lot of money, so why don’t you act like a progressive?” Finally, Obama stands up and he says, “Look, it’s all very well for you to criticize me, but don’t you remember what happened to Dr. King?”

If I had anything but the utmost respect for my primary source, I would not be repeating this. But I can very easily believe it happened. When people say, “If he felt that way he shouldn’t have tried to be president,” well, that’s easy to say. You get pushed into these positions, even if he’s just afraid for his children or for Michelle.

From Ray McGovern, retired CIA employee

Here is one review of the book on Amazon with which I agree:


Mr. Press came across as judgmental, negative, unappreciative and pompous.
President Obama needs to be given much credit for his accomplishments while in office, especially considering the state of our nation at the time of his inauguration, involvement in two wars and the worst recession since the Great Depression. He has devoted more than seven years of his life working to improve health care, the economy, the auto industry, equal pay for women, gay rights and any number of other initiatives. Just because he did not accomplish everything that Mr. Press thought he should have accomplished is absolutely no reason to devote a whole book criticizing his presidency. I consider myself a progressive, and I am proud of what our president had accomplished, especially considering the opposition he has encountered from those on the right. This country has enough negativism without Mr. Press devoting a whole book filled with his negative opinions.