Intimidation?

My friend Stuart sent me a link to this cartoon by Chuck Asay...

... with the following question: How does Vote Obama 2012 handle this perception?

It's a legitimate question, and one that's frequently raised on the left. Do Obama and the Democrats capitulate too easily to ideologically-drive right-wing notions? Do they too easily sacrifice their principles? I wrote back to Stuart as follows:

I think VO 2012 addresses this perception with the argument that Obama is indeed open to--even solicits--alternative ideas, alternative solutions from the opposition; but not bad ones. In this instance, an immediate blanket ban on all drilling is probably impracticable, given our deeply ingrained national addiction. But it needs to be done with strict government regulation and safety supervision. So it's not capitulation to a Republican idea, but appropriate attention and modification. Would that work for you? Cheers, P