"Nobody Won" - Is Obama's Legislative Agenda Dead Ended?

Despite the alleged “win” by the Obama White House over the recent budget crisis, the question has to be asked if the president has not limited his own ability to advance his rather ambitious legislative agenda.

Interestingly, the media and the forums have been more preoccupied with the futures of the Tea Party, Republicans in general and Senator Ted Cruz specifically, than what’s next for the White House. Few commentators of either stripe seem to have let go of “Cruz Mania” to ask how recent events may affect Obama’s and the Democrats strategy. None are wondering yet whether the “take no prisoners, never negotiate” stand is paying the dividends the Democrats need right now. And if Obama wants to achieve his admirably lofty goals of immigration reform, the Farm Bill and what has eluded his presidency for five years, a lasting budget deal, questions have to be raised whether he can do so now through legislation at all.

Reuters News Services is quoting congressional staffers on both sides of the aisle as saying the atmosphere is like being inside a wasps nest. More and more, say insiders, the elected elite are hearing a general condemnation of all involved; the criticisms of Obama being the “shut down” highlighted Obama’s ongoing deficiencies in basic governing. His hard line stance only resulting in what he himself ultimately labeled a “manufactured shut down.”
His chances now, of getting co-operation from even moderate Republicans on such thorny issues as immigration reform and amnesty are, well, impossible. It is highly doubtful he can convince embittered Republicans to sing to the tune of what Reuters says is “a White House many of them have come to detest.” Embattled Democrats too, are not likely ready to hit the trenches eagerly to support an administration that has them answering “why” the promised roll out of ACA has become a dog’s breakfast as have so many of Obama’s ventures.

What Obama cannot do legislatively, he has more than once said, he is prepared to so though “Executive action” or in some people’s minds presidential decree. And that may be Obama’s Achilles heel. It may have been his intent to end up there. He did, three years ago say “the constitution is more limiting than I would have liked”.
Then again, it may have been the intent of the newly emerging Senator Ted Cruz to use Obama’s historic stubbornness to back the president into this very corner. From the read on Cruz, he is that clever by far, just as Obama is clever enough to have baited Cruz into his weird stand, although it does not at all appear so.

Perhaps this is what president Obama meant when he said “nobody won” in the budget crisis.