I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Obama has too much faith in the American people and in their governmental institutions. He said it last January when he told George Stephanopoulos that he spent his first year too focused on policy-making and thought good policy would matter to the voters. Then he realized after the election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts that other work mattered, too.
But if you look at everything Obama's done as president, the idea that good policy will sway public opinion informs just about every public stance Obama takes. The same thing seems to inform his stance on the budget, as I said in my column today: He tries to seem rational and willing to compromise, and hopes the American people will side with him. That probably works in the macro and for him; voters will probably want to re-elect him. But whether it works from a policy perspective is another question. And it definitely makes progressives angry.
