What will the Democrats do between now and 2012 now that they have lost the House? Progressives generally hope that the Democrats will move to the left, while moderate to conservative Democrats want their party to move to the right. Not surprisingly, I am with the progressives on this one. Unfortunately, many people seem to be taking the wrong lesson from the mid-term results.

The economy was obviously the big issue in the mid-term elections, but there was also a palpable enthusiasm gap. The Republican Tea Party managed to get their base fired up while the Democrats really struggled in this area. The reasons for this gap are obvious but seem to be lost on the White House.

The more President Obama talks about compromise, the more he alienates his progressive base. We hear the clear "no compromise" message from leaders of the Republican Tea Party, and it makes Obama look hopelessly out of touch when he keeps trying to work with them. The more he insists that the American people want bipartisanship, the more deluded he appears. We elected Obama because we want a real shift to the left.

It is probably already too late for many of us to support a second term for President Obama. After all, he continues to refuse to hold Dick Cheney accountable for war crimes. But he still has an important role to play in helping to elect progressive Democrats. And one of the ways he can do this is getting people to the polls in 2012. But if the Democrats continue to move to the right, the enthusiasm gap will be far worse next time. The only solution is a deliberate move to the left.

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