PITTSBURGH — They wish he had done more in his first eight months, but the liberal bloggers who helped propel Barack Obama to the White House are far from giving up on him.
Gathered in Pittsburgh for the annual Netroots Nation convention, they say they are not disappointed. At least not too disappointed. Yet.
“He’s making some strides . . . but I think there needs to be more action,” says Los Angeles-based blogger Lisa Derrick, who writes daily about politics, entertainment and pop culture on under the name LaFiga.
Rumblings on the left could spell trouble down the road for the president and for other Democrats. The group is threatening to run ads against moderate and conservative Democrats who don’t toe the line on Obama’s health care overhaul push.
The president is giving too much ground on health care, in the eyes of some bloggers here. Some think he ought to get out of Iraq faster. They want him to do away with the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
“There’s a degree of accountability that’s necessary,” Derrick said.
The White House hasn’t forgotten the bloggers Obama courted in the presidential campaign. His team has elevated the Internet presence of the White House to new heights. And senior Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett will be here in Pittsburgh to address the Net roots convention.
