Maybe things are looking up.

Since his inauguration, President Obama has been a huge disappointment. Perhaps this is only due to his lack of experience with the hardball politics of Washington and the extreme lengths that the radical right is willing to go to damage him, but his lack of leadership and his incredible lack of skills as Negotiator in Chief have badly damaged the country and hurt his chances of reelection.

Hopefully the last couple of days will mark a turning point. For once Obama stood toe to toe with the right and did not allow their disruptive abuse of the system to win. Republican petty threats and gamesmanship over extending the Payroll Tax cuts were just another attempt by them to abuse the real needs of the people in an attempt to further their personal political goals. There is no way to negotiate with Boehner or the rest of the fringe right other than to just say no. Not backing down and not allowing the Republicans to play their games should give Obama well earned momentum.