He noted 2 new examples. One involving President Obama joining with Mitt Romney when he announced his support for state flexibility on health care reform.
"I know that many of you have asked for flexibility for your states under this law," Obama said during a speech to a governors meeting at the White House. "In fact, I agree with Mitt Romney, who recently said he's proud of what he accomplished on health care by giving states the power to determine their own health care solutions. He's right."
And the other from the new guy - White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley - who appeared on MTP and talked about Jon Huntsman.
[Huntsman's] support of the Obama administration, his support of the president, the things he did on behalf of this administration and the closeness in which he worked with the president is most appreciated. And I'm sure he'll talk about that in the primaries.
Benen's response:
It's easy to imagine Daley's quote being inserted directly into a primary campaign ad. My strong hunch is, that wasn't an accident.
Nope, no accident.
Remember, this is a two-edged sword for Obama. He'd be very happy if these candidates would join him in embracing this spirit of cooperation. Anyone who's read "The Audacity of Hope" recognizes that Obama's main critique of our politics today is the polarization created by ideologues. A pragmatic coming together of Democrats and Republicans to actually solve problems is a big part of the "long-game" he's playing.
Of course the other option for these Presidential candidates is to embrace their own Party's increasing marginalization with the Tea Partiers. That means an even longer "long-game," but it will eventually get us to the same place.
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UPDATE: Thanks to BWD for two more examples of journalists who are sort-of getting it:
Adam Sorenson with Team Obama Perfects the Death-Hug
Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns with Killing Them Softly
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