US Politics Analysis: A Progressive Problem for Obama; A "Downgrade" Problem for America

The problem for Obama, however, is that to enact his economic plan he needs a landslide victory for both him and his party. The same can be said for Mitt Romney and Republicans. Neither of those outcomes are likely, nor is a return to bipartisan compromise.

Quite what that means for the elections of 2012 is unknown. What it means for the aftermath is clearer, if ominous: if there is no reconciliation of political divisions at the start of the new Administration and new Congress, another American "downgrade" becomes likely rather than possible.

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US Politics and Tax Cuts: Sanders' Remarkable 8 1/2-Hour "BernieBuster" Challenges Republicans...and Obama

Despite some hostile immediate reactions from progressives, including a non-binding resolution by the House Democratic Caucus that they would not even consider voting on the deal unless it was amended, Obama appeared to have won the argument within his party by Sunday.

But a remarkable piece of political theatre that took place on the floor of the Senate on Friday has energised opposition within some circles to the compromise. At 10:24 a.m., Bernie Sanders, the 69-year old Independent senator form Vermont, began a speech criticising the compromise as a “bad deal” for Americans. Eight and a half hours later, without eating or even sitting, Sanders concluded what became instantly known as the #filibernie on Twitter, where the speech trended Number 1 worldwide on Friday afternoon. While he was speaking the filibernie.com and berniesandersisstilltalking.com websites sprung up, and at the former the whole speech is still available on video with the comment: "Because somewhere on the internet this deserves to be looping forever...."

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