The Final Tax Deal & Wonderboy's New Image

Much is being made by pundits as solidly conservative as Charles Krauthammer that Wonderboy's 11th hour tax deal will reposition him to the center of the political spectrum and perhaps even salvage his 2012 re-election prospects.

I confess to having difficulty sharing Mr. Krauthammer's conviction on this point.

It seems that polling done just after the actual signing showed the First Rookie's approval rating was up significantly. And then there's the usual spiel that the far-left has nowhere to go, so there won't really be an ultra-liberal challenge to Wonderboy for his re-nomination.

Is it really going to be so easy for the president to wipe out two years of liberal ideology, budget-busting behavior and general philosophy of saddling working voters with ever-more costs of supporting their non-working fellows? Will voters really forget Wonderboy's snarky initial press conference on the tax deal, wherein he castigated all other parties to the negotiations?

I just don't think so. He's on record as hating those voters who succeed financially, and I just don't see him retracting those views. He signed the bill because to veto it would have encumbered him with the clear label of raising taxes and weakening the economy. But that doesn't mean he liked it, or will suddenly change his stripes.

We have a year ahead in which to see how Wonderboy maneuvers against a Republican-led House bent on curtailing the implementation of Obamacare and, generally, slowing down this administration's attempts to govern by agency rule-making.

I don't think the First Rookie can hold his temper and tongue in check for that long. Especially as he begins his own re-nomination campaign.