E.J. Dionne,Jr.:Unhappy Democrats Threaten Obama Jobs Bill!

The talk in the political class is that this is the beginning of the end of the Obama administration, while the talk in the Obama administration is that this is the end of the beginning. Which will it be? Last week was NOT exactly what President Obama hoped for, when he rolled out his big jobs initiative. He expected push back from Republicans. He did not anticipate the resistance he is getting from Democrats, or, perhaps more to the point, he did not expect the questions about the bill, that might inevitably arise on his side, to get quite so much attention. The administration's own strategy was clear enough, and for the first few days it was working as planned. By putting together a rather large but relatively uncontroversial package of measures to boost the economy, Obama sought to put the Republicans on the defensive and rally Democrats, including his progressive critics, behind a push for action. In a series of campaign-style rallies, Obama exuded new energy. The friendly crowds he gathered radiated with a spirit that has been largely absent since the 2008 campaign. Cries of "Pass this bill!" seemed comfortingly similar to the shouts of "Yes, we can!", and the initial response fro congressional Republicans (they pointedly did NOT reject all of his ideas) suggested that things just might be turning the president's way. The poll ratings of congressional Republicans, after all, are awful. Their leaders sensed that rejectionism might not be good politics.