AP/J. Scott Applewhite

Robert Kuttner: Obama seems to think that if he demonstrates to the voters that he is going the extra mile to appease the Republicans, he will win approval from opinion-leaders for delivering on his pledge to "change the tone in Washington," while Republicans will reap the public's scorn for their refusal to meet him halfway. Except, politics doesn't work that way. The Republicans get far more mileage out of continuing to block him at every turn, and his increasingly plaintive pleas only make him look weak.