Many progressives have been expressing dissatisfaction with President Obama's right-of-center policies for some time. Now the polls are beginning to suggest that this sentiment may extend beyond the far left. According to an article by Ken Thomas and Jennifer Agiesta for the Associated Press:

An analysis of Associated Press-GfK polls, including the latest survey released last week, shows that Obama has lost ground among all those groups [Whites, women, younger voters, and liberals] since he took office. The review points to his vulnerabilities and probable leading targets of his campaign as he seeks to assemble a coalition diverse enough to help him win re-election in tough economic times.

It may not be too late for President Obama to win back the support of many who are now questioning him. However, it will certainly be an uphill battle. During his 2008 campaign, he mobilized and inspired a diverse coalition. Since taking office, he has delivered on few of his promises and left many of us wondering what happened to the change we so desperately wanted. We are still mired in multiple wars, Gitmo is still operational, the Bush tax cuts are still in place, Wall Street is still poorly regulated, and Dick Cheney is somehow still not behind bars.

As tempting as it is to blame the Republicans and absolve President Obama of responsibility, this would be hopelessly naive. He has not been the strong advocate for progressive values we wanted. This is going to need to change if he wants progressive support in winning re-election.

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