The Republicans handed Obama a tactical victory when they agreed to extend the payroll tax cut on Obama's terms. But maybe it's Democrats who've set themselves a trap. What if the president's partisan victory is actually hollow?

The only thing wrong with Obama's populism is that it took him until nearly the year of his re-election to practice it resolutely. More, please.

President Obama is exceptionally lucky when it comes to the weaknesses of the Republican field and its stunning penchant for mutually assured destruction.

President Obama is planning to strike a "populist" note in his State of the Union Address and in his re-election campaign. But economic populism would be a lot more credible if it had been the consistent message and program of his presidency.