Political Perceptions: Obama’s Victory Has a Thousand Fathers

One of President-elect Barack Obama’s problems will be the large number of constituencies who think they were responsible for his winning—and who expect something in return. Politico’s Avi Zenilman looks at that phenomenon, noting that “reporters’ inboxes have overflowed with e-mails from advocacy groups boasting of their role in Tuesday’s sweeping Democratic win. Unions, Hispanic groups, the Netroots, progressive organizing coalitions, single women, working women, youth, the religious left — to name just a few — all claim to have played a vital role in electing Barack Obama. And each says he owes them for that role.” Some of this is normal after any election, Zenilman writes. But “Obama’s wider margin of victory this year makes it seem as though America — and the Democratic Party — may just be big enough for virtually every group to claim credit and jostle elbows as they push for their respective agendas.” Moreover, he notes, “As the ... (link)