One could argue that it was worth it, and any dramatic change like that would create that sort of pushback. O did chart a course down the center, more or less, mostly beating back the Kucinich resistance from the left. But he also threw in the towel pretty early on in making it bipartisan at all. O did not have much patience for that sort of thing.

But it was the product of a perceived mandate, and it set them on the road to loss of control of Congress.

Ironically, the best booster Ocare ever had was Donald J Trump.