Palin seems to have forgotten that her poll ratings have plummeted since the summer of 2011.

Obama ran a hard-edged and negative campaign against Romney, hoping to convince recession-weary voters that his rival was unworthy of the job.

The failure of the White House and Congress to seriously address the nation's fiscal situation is certain to broaden the belief among many voters that the U.S. political system is broken.

Obama considers himself above deal-making and back-slapping, political necessities he often delegates to Vice President Joe Biden and other lesser sorts.

Andrew Jackson was the first president to claim that the desires of the public overrode Congress's constitutional prerogatives. Virtually every president since Jackson has claimed the mantle, even while lacking two ingredients of an electoral mandate: a landslide victory and a specific agenda.

I'm hearing echoes of Bill Clinton, circa 1996, in President Obama's reelection rhetoric.

In times of tumult, voters are likely to forgive a president, if not reward him, for compromises made in service of solutions.