Why isn't President Obama taking this fiscal fight to the People?

[Scuba]

After all, he ran on NOT cutting Social Security and on increasing taxes on the wealthiest. That's a big, big piece of what got him elected.

If the R's - who some may recall lost the election - don't capitulate, and very soon, taking it to the public will be a big winner for 98% of Americans.

Any by capitulate, I don't mean compromise, I mean surrender.

[DrDan]

1. he has always supported a "tweak"

[Johonny]

2. I think it will be the big question of his presidency

Why is a person that generally considered a good campaign speaker and excellent when on the bully pulpit generally on his biggest negotiations with congress chosen to negotiate from behind close doors. His defenders will claim that he has been successful at moving his agenda using this approach so it is unlikely he will suddenly try another tactic. His detractors generally see his agenda watered down, hopelessly compromised and thus see the president as a modest failure. It will probably be a major focus of post presidency books about his governing style and I imagine neither side is likely to change from their vision of how his presidency was/wasn't affective.

So the basic boring answer to this is another question "why do we think he would?". His presidency has rarely taken things straight to the people to push congress towards stated goals. This "fiscal cliff" negotiation doesn't appear much different than how Obama has run the country for 4 years. I think expecting something different in the next 4 years is unlikely. If you generally are frustrated by how Obama does these things than well expect more frustration, if you think Obama is reasonable and rational and takes the best deals he can and still get his major objective goal "some amount of actual governance in the country", than likely you will like how this negotiation is working out.