You know all this talk about sincerity really baffles me and seems incredibly simplistic and short sighted. Obama's biggest flaw as President has ALWAYS been his lack of a backbone. When he was elected, he set out an ideologically centrist agenda that got shot to Hell because the idiot Nancy Pelosi insisted on pushing through obscenely ultra-leftist legislation, and Obama was too much of a wimp to stand up to her and tell her to toe the line and veto the crap that was coming out of Congress. Instead, he played the role of a good little ***** and spent his time trying to sell Pelosi's bill of goods to the public in a way that was reminiscent of Colin Powell arguing mobile bio labs to the UN even though he knew it was bullshit.
Now, Obama is once again pushing for a centrist ideology, embracing things that the Republicans want, pretty much telling them, "I"ll sign on to all of these things if you'll sign on to the things I'm asking for from you right now." The real question is going to be whether Republicans will meet him half way and agree to the liberal policy points that he put forward. If they do, then great, the country will be better for it, and Obama's Presidency will likely be renewed and see a second term. But if they don't, it will be up to Obama to stand up to them and draw the line, and be willing to use his veto powers, be willing to let the government be shut down, until the GOP lives up to their half of the agreement. And that is where I expect things to be hairy, because I don't see Obama having that backbone anymore now than he did a year ago. The result will be that the GOP will push their agenda, and Obama will swallow it. So the only real "danger" of Obama not following through with things he's said is going to be the possibility that the next two years will be dominated with a Republican right wing agenda with the Democratic policy points being what ends up not coming to fruition.
