President Obama’s public shaming of congressional Republicans to act on a range of issues may be winning at the polls — but it risks alienating the people needed to reach bipartisan compromise.
While Obama has made a strategic calculation that he needs to marshal public support to push through his agenda,centrist Republicans warn the president and his allies could go too far with partisan events and campaign-style ads targeting GOP lawmakers.
One recent point of contention:Organizing for Action,Obama’s former campaign arm,made its first post-election foray into campaigning this week with ads pressuring swing-state Republicans to support new gun control measures.
Among the targets was Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine),who is working to build support for a bill focused on cracking down on gun trafficking.
“The way to tackle this difficult issue is to continue to have a constructive dialogue. Obviously ads run against me are not what I would call constructive dialogue,” Collins told The Hill. “I personally have very little interest in the White House’s campaign activities on this issue. It’s just not a factor in my consideration.”
Read More at The Hill . By Cameron Joseph.