Mainstream "Progressives," the most vocal opponents of the Imperial Presidency during Republican administrations, become a captive clientele -- no matter how egregious the executive power grab -- when a Democrat’s in power. Because, you see, now matter how disappointing they may privately concede Obama’s performance on civil liberties has been, Romney would be even worse! And believe me, his frustrated supporters’ sense of nowhere else to go isn’t lost on hacks like Obama. So in practice, the lesser of evils seems to get a little more evil with each election cycle. And the repressive apparatus of the state ratchets ever upward.
-- Kevin Carson, "The Joke of Democratic Accountability" (CounterPunch).