Obama Lashes Out at Critics in His Base

White House Hopes to Woo Back Independents With Compromises, Pick the Right Fights to Mollify Liberal Supporters

By LAURA MECKLER And JONATHAN WEISMAN
WSJ

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama, in a rare display of anger, called "sanctimonious" and "purist" the Democratic critics of his tax-cut deal with Republicans, showing the strains of a president caught between his liberal base and the more centrist independent voters who helped him win the White House.

The outburst came at the end of an afternoon news conference where the president ardently defended not only the tax-cut deal but his broader record. Mr. Obama pleaded for support from his core constituents, even as he chastised them for carping that began with the earlier health-care fight.

"This is a big, diverse country. Not everybody agrees with us. I know that shocks people," he said. "This country was founded on compromise."

The president's performance appeared to reflect his frustration with his position after the fall election, which left him needing to energize his party's base while luring back the independents who abandoned Democrats in November.

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