As Josh Marshall puts it:

Over the last few days, as it’s become increasingly clear that the sequester cuts probably reallywillhappen, the big name pundits are coming forward and complaining that President Obama needs to step forward and ‘exercise leadership’ and solve the problem.

It’s all similar to what we saw in the fiscal cliff negotiations. Official Washington is accustomed to having a Democratic safety net — not cash transfers for those who fall through the cracks of the market economy — but that Democrats will come in and solve crises created by GOP government by crisis. When the Democrats or the Democrats’ party leader — in this case, the President — won’t do that, everyone freaks out.

The argument now is basically that the president is the father who must make his problem children behave. Only this is worse than just a dodge. Lots and lots of people are going to get hurt by the sequester. Anyone who helps deflect blame from Republicans — in the full knowledge that they are the primary obstacle to the compromise we need to prevent serious damage from being done to the country — is unwittingly helping to enable their intransigence.

Well said, Greg and Josh. A huge reason the GOP has been able to get away with unprecedented obstructionism and nullification is the absolute refusal of non-partisan media to call them out for it, and explain the consequences to voters. I hope that’s finally beginning to change.