More WH Political Tin Ear

When it comes to aligning with the public mood, the policy wonks in the White House have a tin ear. Glaring recent examples include making Catholic institutions provide morally objectionable (to them) birth control and abortion pills within their employee health insurance.

Now we have Pew Research polling data which indicates that public opinion does not agree with White House cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline which would have carried Canadian oil to refineries on the Gulf Coast. Pew says:

Among those who have heard at least a little about the Keystone XL pipeline, 66% say the government should approve the pipeline, while just 23% say it should not.

The White House is playing to a narrow, but wealthy, segment of its base with this supposedly "green" decision opposing the pipeline.