While I certainly think having a regular dialogue between President Obama and the opposition would be a good thing, I hope that if he’s going to give time to the GOP, he also gives time to Democrats, particularly progressive Democrats, for public questioning and debate. This can’t be just about engaging his conservative opponents. He has progressive ones too, progressive Democrats whose legislative agenda he has repeatedly undercut or opposed.

I enjoyed watching Obama swat down dumb Republican talking points last week in Baltimore, but hearing a centrist Democrat tell me why positions slightly to his right are wrong is not interesting to me. Hearing him justify why he is not fighting for health care reform nor labor reform nor immigration reform, on the other hand, would be educational.