The Obama Administration has been trying to govern according to the old DLC triangulation theories, which provide that that progressive ideas are too scary for the American public and that each and every one of them must be dialectically fused with its opposite proposal from the right, to arrive at a position just a notch to the left of the Republican position, cutting the Republicans off from the independents and undecideds, who will then be to the left, on the Democratic side of the issue.
This worked to some extent for Bill Clinton, though it failed to get Gore elected. But by now, it's an outdated strategy. The Republicans have figured out how to counter it pretty well, they've had the time to study it and its architect, Dick Morris, is now a faithful servant of the GOP. It's a risky approach, because the "consensus" position arrived at through such triangulation is actually not held by anyone. Unless the public comes to see the position as the "middle of the road" one, there is a possibility of simply sitting down between tow chairs. After all, actually driving down the middle of the road is a suicidal move, since you are in neither line of traffic. Let us hope somebody can jerk the wheel back before a total wreck occurs.