Folks on the left wanted a fighter to push their agenda. If they don't wait in long lines in places like Columbus, OH . . . the jig is up.
And they won't.
Public option? Nope, the current dysfunctional insurance monopoly still reigns, and the middle class will continue to be fleeced.
Bush tax cuts? Nope, the only group to participate in economic gains since the late 70s was given another stimulus (tax cut) that did nothing for the economy. Obama even aped the "job creator" rhetoric, which is a joke. The job creators will not add jobs unless the middle class consumer has money to spend. The middle class had money to spend when they had high salaries from 1945-1980 - this allowed them to create the most vibrant consumption economy in history. Then came Reagan's anti-union campaign, and globalization . . . designed to lower labor costs and shift assets/money from the broad middle to the wealthy. This had the effect of moving money away from middle class demand. How did Reagan solve the problem caused by lower wages and less money for consumption? He handed out credit cards. Indeed, starting in 1980 household debt skyrocketed. Morning in America was put on Master Cards and sub primes. What did the wealthy do with all the money the Reagan Revolution gave them? Remember: we were told the wealthy would re-invest the extra profits, and grow the economy. We've seen the opposite. The money went away from the real economy of goods and services and into the speculative Wall Street casino, i.e., hedge funds, futures, and derivatives. This makes sense since there is no incentive to invest in the real economy if the middle class lacks money. So where did the profits go? The wealthy took their profits and used them to lobby Washington. They purchased elections and got rid of expensive American labor, favoring oppressed 3rd world labor forces instead. (Where do you think your sneakers and jeans are made?) Obama did nothing to reverse this. He became a rightwing president. He gave government to the wealthy.
Government is now a reflex of big business. Welfare for the rich, who live in the new gilded age.