Fox Butterfield, is that you?

Expert analysis from the former national paper, 'pinch's View'

The NYT weighs in on what went wrong

President Obama will be remembered as a thoughtful and dignified president who led a scrupulously honest administration [sic]  that achieved major changes.

People argue over whether his impatience with politicians and Republican intransigence denied him bigger accomplishments, but that argument is beside the point: He rescued an economy in crisis and passed the recovery program, pulled America back from its military overreach, passed the Affordable Care Act and committed the nation to addressing climate change. To be truly transformative in the way he wanted, however, his success had to translate into electoral gains for those who shared his vision and wanted to reform government. On that count, Mr. Obama failed.

His legacy regrettably includes the more than 1,000 Democrats who lost their elections during his two terms. Republicans now have total control in half of America’s states.

Glenn Reynolds gets it right, as usual: 

Note that the takeaway lesson — which Republicans should encourage — is that Obama just didn’t go left enough, loudly enough.