Barack Obama

of progressives claiming Obama is too conservative and Democrats are the same as Republicans, causing them to stay home and not vote, is that we end up with a more right-wing government, which moves all existing progressive leaders further to the right, and giving the non-voters even more apparent ammo. President Obama's greatest achievements were front-loaded in the years he had political capital and Congressional control, with more modest results since (rolling back Bush tax cuts for top incomes after the 2012 election, and various executive action). The people who don't vote don't have a say if the needle moves to the right further. That's their own doing.

But the post exaggerates quite a bit. Obama's approval rating is still averaging low 40's, not that unusual for a 6th year president, maybe 8% below the 50% mark. The 2014 election turnout was low, but not much lower than 2010. It's a midterm voter turnout problem that goes way beyond President Obama. Having him on the ballot actually turns out voters in record numbers (in recent decades). It's the midterms that are the big problem.