Yes, he and the Democratic Congress got a lot of impressive stuff done and kept so many promises it makes an impressive list. The problem is the difference between big and little promises. He’s backed away from too many important things with what appears to be an unwillingness to engage the GOP machine and message vigorously against their colossal asshattery and their lexicon of lies. What’s worse is: it’s not really his fault – to a point.

It’s frustrating to watch the GOP’s “audacity of nope” work so well against what purported to be the smartest, most agile administration ever assembled. GOP Bullshit and obstruction just keep winning because – in my opinion – sometime during the transition Obama’s sycophants lost their critical thinking skills, surrendered their fight and gave up on their principals.

Dean was gone and the 50 State Strategy was dead, in their place rose a weak and unfocused mess called the OFA – a gasping and risible throwback to the losing strategies of decades past; an uneven excuse making machine that worked tirelessly to lose control of the House to Republicans.

Health Care Reform, no matter impressive its passing, is a giant mess thanks to an unmeasurable amount of Democratic Leadership’s caving into the pressures of Republicans under the false guise of garnering support that would NEVER appear. Democrats were basically dumb enough to believe that if they gave their lunch money to the play ground bully, he’d keep his promise not to take it again the next day.

Even when President Obama stood strong and messaged brilliantly – like his very, very late appearance on the Health Care Reform Debate – he was cut off at the knees by Pelosi and Reid, whose impressive rectal-cranial contortions and ability to kick their own asses placed the president alone and without support too many times. I mean, what the hell is the point of having Rahm as your Chief of Staff if you’re not going to waffle stomp your own party when they legislatively wet themselves?

Rahm and the other throwbacks demolished the highly successful DNC Dean Election Winning Machine and devolved to the losing strategies of yesteryear – all because guys like Rahm would rather lose than sack up and admit that they were wrong about the 50 State Strategy (and now people are talking about Begala to replace Kaine? WTF?)

Iraq? Afghanistan? Git-mo? Blackwater? BP? Cafe Standards? Cap and Trade? Green Tech? Infrastructure? At every point, Democrats have let Republicans out-message, out-maneuver and allowed them to gut the important and progressive parts of nearly every major piece of legislation in the last two years – with impunity.

It’s not a matter of Democrats wanting to do the right thing – they do – it’s a failure of Democrats not fighting to do the right thing – not even showing up to fight, in too many cases. How are we losing the media fight on 700 Billion in tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires – a tiny part of the US population? Leadership’s unwillingness to message with the same energy that the Republicans spread their lies.

For example – How hard is it to buy air time and pronounce to the world, every commercial break, that if the 700 Billion in tax cuts to the rich that have led to this insane economic crisis haven’t done anything to fix it, doing it again will only continue to make it worse? You buy a couple hundred spots around the country and the media pundits would lose their minds! It’s all they’d talk about for weeks. If Democrats made the noise – FROM THE TOP – the media would pay attention. They have 24 hours a day to fill, and the GOP is giving them the sound bites they need to fill that time.

That’s one thing. ONE DAMN THING that would significantly change the direction of the conversation – yet Democratic leaders continue to use the losing tactics of the pre-Dean days – with predictable results. We don’t have to match the Republican’s style, but we need to match their frequency and volume.

Yet, what are we handed? Moderate Democrats are branded the “Professional Left” and told to quit whining, Progressives are relabeled “fringe” and thrown under the bus as Democrats in leadership positions are scrambling to agree with the anti-reality attacks of the Republican Party.

Obama needed strong leaders to support his agenda, and what he got was the typical, spineless, bed wetter behavior that lost Democrats the House in 1994 and the entire government in 2000.

Have promises been kept? Yes.

However – If promise my kids I’m going to take them to Disneyland AND buy them a candy bar tomorrow and then only buy them a candy bar – even they know it’s intellectually dishonest bullshit to claim a .500 batting average.