As a 2012 ad pushing Hillary for Pres. hits the airwaves, a laughable idea, Pres. Obama finds himself down and out on every front. It’s been a very bad summer, with Democrats not running on their health care “accomplishments,” they can’t run on a recovery that never happened, plus there is a general feeling among the American electorate that the only ones fighting for them are Republicans. Democrats seem totally out of touch with how they feel and what they want, which begins at the top with Pres. Obama’s out of touch presidency, the biggest albatross around the Left’s midterm neck.
If Obama didn’t have Sect. Clinton running State (and the MidEast process talks) he’d be in even worse state, because PM Netanyahu wouldn’t feel it necessary to even deal with him at all given Obama’s settlement bluster, because he knows the President won’t do squat in retaliation if he doesn’t extend the agreement. It’s the trouble with talking tough while not being willing to actually use any sticks, i.e. economic, against the Netanyahu government. Given the upcoming midterms, then Obama’s re-election, there isn’t a lot he can do to coerce Mr. Netanyahu. Only Clinton has the credibility and power to push Netanyahu on settlements, though even she will find it tough to move him. Democrats are on the way out in 2010, no matter who controls Congress, with a tidal wave of discontent about to sweep over them.
It can be seen in the latest New York Times story about young people, with fewer reportedly considering themselves Democrats. Wasn’t Mr. Obama supposed to change this forever simply through being elected? It’s a trend that matches the country’s mood in the age of Obama, a President who has tarnished the Democratic domestic brand from health care to the economy, with Social Security and other entitlements put in the hands of a “debt commission,” because Obama wants to make someone else has their hands on whatever bad news he decides to deliver. But as to young people:
“There’s a vibe,” he said on a recent afternoon, while pumping weights at the gym. “Right now it seems like Republicans just care a lot more than Democrats.”
A spokeswoman for the university’s chapter of College Democrats, Mandi Asay, 22, said her group battled apathy on one hand and anger on the other.
“People are angry — about the budget deficit, health care plan, angry about this and that,” she said. “I feel like Republicans definitely, definitely have a chance of getting back on their feet.”
We saw on Tuesday another reason why Republicans “have a chance of getting back on their feet,” because when the anti Iraq war candidate won’t re-enforce how cataclysmic the decision was to go into Iraq, if only to make his case again for why he believes he has a duty in Afghanistan, with the history that swept this candidate into the presidency already likely to be forgotten. It’s actually already happened, with George W. Bush’s rehabilitation on Katrina a stunning signal.
All of this is why Eugene Robinson’s pathetically whiny column today is so contrived. It’s all the voter’s fault, you know, because you’re simply a “spoiled-brat American electorate.” It has nothing to do with Democrats refusing to fight against the rabid right. Evidently Mr. Robinson and the rest of the people living in Obamaland, an alternate universe where things don’t appear as they actually are, believe the current state of political affairs is not to be blamed on a feckless Democratic Party that has once again ceded the oxygen to the Becks, Palins, Limbaughs on the rabid right, instead more intent on blaming the “professional left” and the discontented Democrats for all of Obama’s woes.
The American voter has a short memory and right now all they’re thinking is just how badly Pres. Obama’s first 20 months has been, regardless that he inherited an awful situation from his predecessor. It’s Barack Obama’s own fault, because he quit reminding people of the eight years he was elected to reverse. Political malpractice has been the Obama administration’s legacy going into midterms. Democrats are going to pay for it.
Let’s just hope the first 20 months of Obama’s presidency isn’t so searing it will obliterate all the promise his candidacy once represented. Because a Republican presidency aided by the current rabid Right would be a catastrophe.
However, unless Democrats and Obama learn how to fight and reflect what people are feeling that’s exactly where we’re headed.
Perfect.
I thought it was a “laughable idea” for the establishment Dims to anoint BO as its nominee. I’m no longer laughing for the reasons stated in the post.
I have visions of the Democratic Party, including Obama,remaining unresponsive, or poorly responding, to the significant number of self-identifying Democratic voters — as well as significant numbers of independents, moderates, etc. — expressing real concerns, and attempting to do the “holding accountable” role. Included in those “visions” are the Democratic party voters continuing the internal arguments, no doubt with often good intentions. But the result will be Republican gains.
I remain convinced we need changes at the number of political party level — we’re so locked into the Reps and Dems playbook that it’s going to take outside efforts to challenge them. Which means it will take lots and lots of effort by lots and lots of people.
Joyce Arnold,
Sounds like you are waking up as many others are. You just repeated one of the makjor tenents of the Tea Party. Congrats! Go with that feeling and do your own reasearch and find the truth for yourself. Stop listening to both Republican and Democratic talking points and the news. It will take you places you never dreamed.
Getty, your rewording of what I wrote presents a completely inaccurate interpretation. I’m happy to engage in conversation, but would appreciate it being based on what I actually say.
I am liberal, feminist and as a lesbian, active for 20+ years in efforts for LGBT civil rights. I have been an independent for at least a decade; routinely do research which includes Democratic and Republican viewpoints (of which there are multiple varieties), while regularly reading from a wide variety of perspectives beyond the two corporate parties, and beyond politics alone. The “places” I “dream” of are informed, challenged, and supported by many people, coming from many perspectives and real life activism.
Go girl!
A couple points. First, over at Politico, it’s Obama who’s king of foreign policy, not HRC. The piece is laughable (not to mention nauseating).
Second, I think you’re very, very wrong about Obama not reminding us about the 8 years of the Bush administration. Where have you been!!! It’s all he’s talked about for 20 months, and I think I speak for many when we say, quit whining. Quit blaming others. Start leading. It’s very unpresidential to stick out your tongue and say, “Bobby started it!” as though you’re 10.
Third, I think Obama (and everyone else) misread the lesson of ’08. The real message was, let’s get rid of Bush,” not “let’s go crazy and transform America.” Most people don’t LIKE Obamacare, they know the stimulus failed and they see deficits as far as they can go. Unemployment is terrible, 401ks still stink, and there’s Obama, on an endless vacation with an endlessly increasing federal government and spending. We’re not happy with that. We want our kids to have more, not less.
And third, you know, there are lots more people in this world than Obama and Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin. I think you’ll find most of them in the middle. I voted for HRC. I even wrote her in in the general. I usually vote Democratic, especially at the state and national level. (Where I live, county-level politics is a much different animal). Not this year, at least not in most races. Bill Foster hides from constituents and does whatever Pelosi says. He’s not getting my vote. I want an end to the spending. I want Obamacare repealed. Start over and start smaller. I want job growth. I want my kids’ college funds to recover.
I think Obama is an epic failure, not because he caved, but because he simply doesn’t know what he’s doing. He likes the perks — but he can’t do the job.
Beth~
What if the transformation had been better policy with a public option and medicare buy in for people in their 50s? Would you have liked it better then?
As for the deficit,it was big to begin with and deficits always grow during a recession because more people need more help like unemployment insurance and medicaid. What would you have him cut? I know know where I would like to see cuts made, like war spending and corporate give aways and farm substidies but I am curious how others feel about this?
The stimulus failed because it was not near big enough to plug the whole in the economy and because a fair portion of it was not put in the right things but rather ended up as tax cuts (which are not stimulitive) or pork,if he had fought for enough stimulus to have made a difference it would raise the deficit even more.I think he could have done this if he had a cohesive narrative and plan to go with it,like restore america’s infrastructure,modernize america’s transportation system or make america the leader of green technology exports by 2020.
To your ears it may have sounded like blaming Bush,my ears kept waiting for him to build a Democratic narrative of contrasts between the last 8 years and what we need to do to fix it.It was a moment in time when he first got to office to teach the country some valuable lessons about rethug economic ideology and set the stage for real progressive solutions. He had so much power then he could have set the course for the public and brought the foot dragging bought off congress along. Such a lost opportunity,just makes me sick at heart.
If he had started out as a Democrat and not a community organizer we might have been in a far different place now.
David Brooks version of what I just wrote with some conservative language tweaks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/opinion/03brooks.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
Second, I think you’re very, very wrong about Obama not reminding us about the 8 years of the Bush administration…
It’s feckless and ineffective to be “reminding” people.
“Reminding” also does not hold the Bush-Cheney administration accountable through investigations on intelligence, the torture regime, warrantless wiretaps, and a host of other potential Bush-Cheney crimes.
IF Rep. get control of the House you will see what I mean, though their investigations will not be for anything worth actually investigating.
Democrats *never* learn this lesson. You just can’t let the Right up off the mat. Obama, Pelosi and Reid have done just that. It has been a critical error as seen through the rehabilitation of George W. Bush, something that seemed impossible in November 2008.
As for the kind words, I appreciate it so very much.
I agree with you on that…an old prize fighter once told me “if you have down….don’t let them up or they’ll beat the crap out of you”. This is exactly what Obama and Pelosi did…
Now they’ve got an all out war to fight and Obama has no spine…he’ll just give in and we Americans are going to pay the price for his inexperience.
I do not think its laughable that Hillary could run in 12′ unless you know something I don’t, which could very well be true…we know for certain she did not fight on the convention floor when she had every opportunity to do so…I’ve always wondered why? Certainly her constituents wanted her too.
Because she is a rock ribbed establishment Democratic Party member.
Good post Taylor, I just feel that the president is not listening to the people. And you have some in his administration attacking the party base. Then some in the Obama loving media blame the people because were supposed to back him no matter what he does and thats just not the real world. When he does something right, we commend him and if he does something wrong, we call him out on it. The democrats seem to give into republicans and there tricks and thats why we have watered down bills and a healthcare system forcing people to buy into insurence companies instead of a public option. I am sorry, but some of the democrats deserve whats coming !! Its just sad we will have some tea party candidates in November. All well, at least it will be great for SNL !! With all the crap going on at least we will have some good laughs.
I think it is the Tea party people who will having the last laugh, Fairminded.
taylor your recent articles describe the situation perfectly. i voted (Obama) as soon as the polls opened election day. now though we have a DINO as president.
i’m sad, for myself, the democratic party and mostly for my country.
Anyone notice that the Obamas are off to Camp David for the Labor Day weekend? I am starting to wonder if living in the WH is getting suffocating for the President? Evidently restlessness is a character trait of his or at least that has been noted about him in several ways by different writers.
Stellar work in the past few week, Taylor. Keep up the hard work.
Let’s just hope the first 20 months of Obama’s presidency isn’t so searing it will obliterate all the promise his candidacy once represented.(Taylor Marsh)
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Keep hope alive,huh Taylor? Obama will fight for nothing, he so wants to comfortable. This has been in evidence all year–isn’t he about to take his 7th vacation this year?
The Republican Tea Party has no answers, with the extremists on the Right bankrupt as far as policy is concerned. For now, Barack Obama is the only chance the U.S. has got.
I’d like to see both major parties challenges in 2012. Neither party has acquitted themselves well. Maybe the thought of losing the grip on US politics to an alternative choice will wake them up.
“For now, Barack Obama is the only chance the U.S. has got.”
That made me cry.
For now, Barack Obama is the only chance the U.S. has got. (Taylor Marsh)
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Oh I beg to differ and with Obama’s abysmal popularity,I think the American people differ with that assessment as well. And they are going to demonstrate this starting in November.
I so hope both parties lose to an alternative choice. Oh, I so hope they do !! The two party system in this country is not working.
For the second time today something/someone scared me badly…
“For Now, Barack Obama is our only chance”…that is a scary thought, but in essence if you don’t believe all the rethug crap (which I don’t), he is, unless Hillary challenges him…that could happen, but with the country like it is…she would NOT win.
Our only hope is that he decides this job is too much for himself and his family and he resigns sooon…this is the HOPE I can believe in.
Why would he resign?…his poll numbers are not that bad. Plus, he will most likely be running against Sarah Palin 2012. I’d say he still has a shot at being reelected by a very small slim margin.
I think the people praying for him to step down from the presidency…are disillusioned with Obama at this point and want to see him simply disappear. Obama has a huge ego problem so he will be leaving easily from the presidency.
correction: he will not be leaving easily from the presidency.
How low does his approval have to go, how feckless his performance, and how weak his odds of reelection have to be before Democrats and Democratic leadership tell him he cannot run in 2012?
What leadership?
His poll numbers are about the same as Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan was at this point in there first term. So, his odds of winning a second term is about the same as those two former presidents.
Another thing high approval numbers does not guarantee reelection…George Bush senior at this point had higher numbers than Obama…but still lost to Bill Clinton.
Reagan and Clinton had explosively good economies. GDP growth averaged over 7% for 1983 and 1984, while Clinton had already low unemployment and brisk job and unemployment growth by late 1993.
Obama wont have numbers anywhere near this good in 2011 and 2012.
“Obama wont have numbers anywhere near this good in 2011 and 2012.”-BobNova
Lol..true…but Obama was blessed with the best gift neither Bill Clinton or Reagan could hope for…the “tea party”, possible Candidate Sarah Palin ( whose poll numbers is worse than his) and a growing unhinged right wing.
The tea party is helping Republicans have their best election since 1894, likely wiping out Democrats as a political force for the next 30 years.
I think the threshhold is unemployment. Unemployment will have to be below 8.5% by January 2012.
The ecomny is important but it pales to who will challenge Obama in 2012…If the right can’t find someone other than Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich…than Obama still has about a good chance to be reelected. I notice the media ignores that most Americans hate both Parties equally. So, in 2012 it will be who you hate the most Republican or Democrats kind of vote.
If things are not good and Obama continues his bland style of governing and politiking, people will vote for whatever the alternative is.
Were going to be stuck with tea party candidates this fall. It just depends on how many. The democrats had a base that was together and was united, then the President and the democrats in charge pushed aside the base and wanted to be more friendly with the republicans. It pushed people to become independent from both parties. Running against the tea parties is a good idea, but some of the dems are still focused on running against the former president, which is so old !! I want to forget him, I know its hard too, but I just wanted to move on like so many of us !! Its no wonder why the dems are in so much trouble.
I thought Obama’s candidacy promised exactly what he’s delivered.
Also, I like the ad. I think it represents how alot of us old school FDR Democrats are feeling. It channels our frustration in a way the Tea Party movement does not. I don’t fit into the lifestyle liberal Obamacrat Party. I think the ascension of the Bill Bradley set has been maybe terminal for the Party.
I am with you masslib~
It is the stupid wars stupid, which have made the bad economy stupid.