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photo: (jypsygen via Flickr)
So it’s pretty clear that Obama’s political strategy is to antagonize the Democratic base in order to appeal to the independents (who, I must point out, would never be as motivated to turn out as diehard Democrats would). Looks like it’s about half-successful:
The poll was taken from Dec. 2 through Wednesday, as the president proposed a two-year freeze on federal civilian workers’ pay and cut a deal with congressional Republicans to extend expiring tax cuts — even those for the wealthy, which he’d opposed.
Overall, just 42 percent of registered voters approve of how he’s doing his job, while 50 percent disapprove.
Obama’s standing among Democrats dropped from a month ago, with his approval rating falling to 74 percent from 83 percent, and his disapproval rating almost doubling, from 11 percent to 21 percent.
Among liberals, his approval rating dropped from 78 percent to 69 percent and his disapproval rating jumped from 14 percent to 22 percent.
His position among independents remained virtually the same, with 39 percent approving and 52 percent disapproving. A month ago, it was 38-54.
The president’s continued failure to rally independents could ruin his bid for re-election. A hypothetical 2012 matchup showed him getting the support of 44 percent of registered voters and Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, getting 46 percent.
Epic. Political. Fail. Obama has sacrificed guaranteed votes (and contributions, and boots on the ground) in exchange for absolutely nothing. Even if protecting corporations and wealth was really his goal all along, I would still expect him to at least try to get re-elected.
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Oh, he’ll get re-elected as long as he pleases the corporations. with out electoral system, they can put anyone in office ( any office) they want.
I really fear for this country, I really didn’t see this deficit giveaway coming. i knew he was after Social Security…any security for regular Americans but this move was too cynical even for me to predict.
I’m going to have to move into a tent too, it looks like
But…but…it’s the Senate’s fault! Get in gear, man, look at the alternatives, and go vote for Nader you libtard purist!
[/Obamabots at Instaputz]
But but but Eli! Obama is acting all pretzeldential and shit cuz that’s what Broder and Milbank and so many of the other pundits are saying.
It must be so cuz he’s surely punchin’ hippies as they want to see.
There will always be another corporate lackey ready to take his place.
But as we are seeing, attacking the left does not automatically win the center.
I’ve been told to sit down and STFU. I’ve been called a sanctimonious peasant, and lots of other eye rolling words of blowhards. I’ll continue to make my comments in regards to his losing hands and bad negotiating skills. He will not get my support again until he has wised up and is doing more for the America that put him in office. Yeah, I know he only has two years left and he has only made it harder for himself.
If the republicans and big Corporate entities are actually holding Americans hostage, why did he bend over backwards to appease them?
The fact that 69% still approve is mind-boggling.
It’s a lot harder when people really really don’t want to vote for your corp-rat candidate.
Kicking the DFHs and the rest of the base, in order to maybe get some votes from independents, and ‘moderates’, is really not very smart. If they’d wanted an R for president, they’d have voted for one. (What part of that does the WH not understand? Evidently, all of it.)
Obama spent $700 million in the next election. This prez election will cost each side around $1 billion. Where is he going to raise $1 billion? Hint: not from $25 a pop on the intertubes. Every action he takes is going to be motivated by contributions. Citizens United has opened the floodgates. He wants his share of the megabuck contributors, and he’ll burn the country down to get them.
Even less so when it *doesn’t* gain any votes from independents. Who are apparently not super-impressed by freezing federal workers’ pay and extending tax cuts for the rich.
Ironically, the base might still vote for Obama despite having been crapped on, but he could lose the election anyway because millions of young voters, Latinos, and working people have given up on politicians and decided that their vote really doesn’t count.
4cdave: Yep.
Obama might have $1B to spend on the campaign, but who’s going to walk precincts and phonebank for him? A lot of people who did that in 2008 might decide they have better things to do than work for someone who took a big flaming crap on them.
The members of the base who vote will still vote for Obama in the general election, but as you say, the problem will be the people (base included) who don’t vote at all. Or donate, or volunteer, etc.
Evening, Eli!
Maybe it’s still eleventy zillion chess and we’re just too dumb to get it. It’ll all be better soon, right?
He still hasn’t figured out the math. They always tell me that liberals make up about 20% of the vote and therefore we count for nothing. Well, they always tell me that except when they blame liberals for voting for Nader.
The college aged won’t do it again. They haven’t seen one thing yet that inspires them to keep up the good fight. Can’t blame them either, cause I’m 54 and don’t see anything that makes me want to support him.
And worse yet, when they stay home, it’s not just Obama they won’t be voting or phonebanking for, it’ll be Democrats all the way down the ticket, some of whom may not actually suck.
Evening, egreg!
Yep, that’s probably it. I’m sure we’ll all be very impressed when we see how it all comes together.
Ha! I think it’s a game of Trouble and he took all the pieces out.
This poll has been discussed earlier.
The data should be interpreted cautiously.
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/11/poll-suggests-risks-for-obama-if-liberals-feel-taken-for-granted/
How do you answer the question, “Why should I vote for Obama again?”? “Because Sarah Palin is batshit insane” might work, but what if it’s Romney? Hell, I’m not even sure Romney’s to Obama’s right.
Gotta tell ya, I’m a registered indpendent all my life exactly b/c the Dems are NOT the progressive force they were when my dad joined 65 years ago. If BO is thinking his strategy is getting me – who worked excruciatingly hard to ge thim elected on the belief that he would bring the party back to its roots – on board, he’s got a 180 degree-other thing coming…
More like eleventy zillion checkers. heh.
For Lucy’s sake! Please don’t let it get down to Obama or one of those two. Surely we will have a Dem step up to primary against him.
And for someone as totally intimidated by Republicans as he is, does he really think they’re going to blow 2012 by acting over the top wacky the next 2 years? They can afford to wait him out. All they have to do is prevent him from having a big win. Since he’s totally risk averse, they’ve got it in the bag.
That was on Dec. 2nd. Before the tax cut deal with the GOP.
The real crash has yet to come.
I don’t think there’s any way to stop the crazies from being crazy. Boehner and Mitch are going to have their hands full trying to rein them in and keep them far, far away from the controls.
I suppose that I would qualify as ‘member of the base’. I will be voting for a number of people and on a number of issues which will be on the ballot. But I will absolutely not be voting for Obama. He is who he is. Anything he does now that might look or sound good between now and election time would be a ruse.
I’m just glad you won’t be staying home altogether. The reverse-coattails are my biggest fear in 2012.
We may end up with a write in candidate. I’m optimistic that someone will step up to primary.
Eli, Just to say, I love the picture above….that guy is bound to be smart. Cheers.
Let’s say President O is a high level oligarchy apparatchik
isn’t it in his interest to hand off govt to the party that supports that position more fiercely?
Govt is a working farm, we are the work horses. The Rs work the horses with the whip, the Ds work the horses with the occasional carrot. Either way the horses get worked. From Obama’s POV if we dont appreciate the occasional carrot then why should they even bother with us?
Thanks, wish I could take credit for it…
Obama rode a wave following 8 years of Bush, and much of his success was the result of tremendous energy that came from the base. In other words, Obama’s success in 2008 cannot be attributed to him at all. He was great at using flowery rhetoric and empty promises to grab much of the enthusiasm, but he had accomplished nothing to earn it. If he really thinks that independents and moderates are going to think he’s a moderate because he shits all over the liberal and progressive base of the Democratic Party every chance he gets, then he’s far less intelligent than I thought. The enthusiasm is gone. The energy that he rode to the White House two years ago will never be there for him again. Apparently, he’s putting all his hopes for the future of his presidency in prayers that the economy will recover despite everything he’s doing to fuck it up. I’d wish him luck, but I’ll be happy when he’s gone.
Then he must really really believe in the magical power of tax cuts to stimulate the economy, despite ten years of evidence to the contrary.
Great point, but the Dems were able to raise a ton of cash during the last cycle, and they still got creamed.
The nightmarish, albeit totally plausible, scenario is if he totally sells out for the next two years to get the corporate cash, and *still* loses the general.
Gotta agree with that. At this point in time, he looks like a third term for Bush. If his tax bargain does not bring the corporate side around he is toast. He should have already been on the train to stop offshoring and get America moving again.
I would still expect him to at least try to get re-elected
Even he doesn’t win he’ll have health care, pension and a nice warm home/office some were paid for those he helped:(
ELI!
But the liberals will come home, (or we’re just a bunch of dirty-fucking-hippie-retards-who-need-to-be-drug-tested), because we’re terrified of anybody with an R at the end of their name!
The tax cut deal wasn’t so unpopular:
MARGARET!
At this point I think we’re almost as terrified of Obama and some of the Ds. If not terrified, then certainly extremely wary and distrustful.
And dismaying…
If it was Bush or McCain doing the exact same things as Obama, that 69% would be spitting fire.
Obama will slash and burn through the next 2 years then he’ll walk. He will have accomplished his agenda and then some. Hillary will try and pick up the torch. God help us and deliver Dr. Howard Dean.
Not to mention a sweet lawyering/lobbying gig for pharma, health insurance corp., defense contractors or Rapescan®.
Yep. :/
Uh, yes. Yes I am terrified of those ending R’s. Because that is exactly what they intend to do. End the Democratic Republic!
I didn’t say it was a good idea, I just think that’s what he’s thinking. That letting the health care industry write the health care bill, and letting the banks write the financial regulation bill, and huge bailouts, just wasn’t enough to get the contributions to win the mid-terms. So he’s going to go all out.
Ya know, I’ve been thinking about that. I mean who has a national name and has had the spotlight in a way that people would take notice. Howard Dean is not only in that position, he scares the hell out of the repugs. He sure does make them angry when he screams at them. (tee-hee!)
I don’t think that the narcissistic bastard will even run for re-election … this whole president thing hasn’t been emotionally rewarding enough to him.
Z
It looks to me like independents are not the center, but the pundits like to portray them as such. The independents numbers haven’t moved in the poll.
We have the technology now to be a pure Democracy. I don’t think that if they had access to the communications we have today, our founders would have settled for a Republic. They recognized the obvious weaknesses of a Representative Democracy, which is one reason so many argued for the supremacy of states’ rights over federal rights.
“Independents” = Conservatives that don’t want to be associated with the racists in the Republican Party or the assclown teabaggers.
Obama is what he’s always been. He is all he cares about.
Is Dean just now figuring this out today? Saved some energy I suppose to bring it up today right before the vote than waging his typically email campaign a month in advance to “fight, fight, fight” then turn around and support it right before the vote. Impressive. He must be trying a new tactic. /snark
“The 2 percent payroll tax sounds great, but in fact they take it out of the Social Security trust fund. Now, here we are complaining about the Social Security trust fund going broke and we take $120…billion of revenue out and use it for a payroll tax mitigation,” Dean said.
Very True. However, at the moment we don’t have a representative democracy either. Unless you have just gained Corporate Personhood this year. ;-)
One Latino organization has put it very bluntly: we won’t support Obama. We survived Bush, we’ll survive whoever gets elected if Obama loses.
we have entered silly land.
progressives need to target the 23 democrat senators that are up for re-election in 2012. maybe some of them have common sense, and actually want to get re-elected.
Obama is intentionally committing political suicide. The only road that takes Obama back to the WH runs thru liberal country. If obama thinks he can travel down Palin highway to the WH, more power to him, he will end up driving by Carter and becoming a 2 year president, because he will be irrelevant within months.
How many senate dems and house dems can afford to defend OBAMACARE, BUSH/OBAMA tax cuts, not many, eventually they have to dump OBAMA and focus on getting re-elected.
What do independents stand for?
1 are they for the BUSH TAXs or Against them?
2. are independents for more WAR, MEDIUM WAR, NO WAR?
3. are independents for little Public Option, medium Public Option, No Public Option
4. are independents for free trade, a little free trade, no free trade?
people these are yes or no questions
enough of the corporate media fantasy land call Independents
people usually vote Dem or GOP?
progressives need to list their positions on issues, and if you disagree with our positions you are probably a Republican
it is that simple.
Bernie Sanders finished OBAMA!
Obama can stay in denial land all he wants.
The kabuki that is the OBAMA tax bill will kill a lot of Dems in 2012.
it is very simple. any dems that vote for Obama tax bill, will probably lose or struggle to win in 2012
because Obama economics will guarantee the fact that USA will have 9% or 10% un-employment in 2012
this is all becoming hilarious :)
Agreed. I should have been more clear. I meant we started off with a representative Democracy but that weakness I mentioned means we’ve been sold out by those who are supposed to be representing our interests and instead are only representing their own.
Very true. “Independent” only signifies lack of political party, not lack of ideology. But the conventional Villager wisdom is that “independent” is synonymous with “moderate” or “centrist”, so therefore centrism is the only way to win them over. We’re seeing how well that works.
It’s the economy stupid. If unemployment stays above 8%, the President is toast even if he has $10 billion.
OTOH, if the President keeps this up, the hard core lefties and their lack of enthusiasm will spill into the other lefties (resulting in the presidents numbers continuing to fall).
Howard Dean scare the democrats as much as he scares Rep
And Nate Silver has been found shilling for Team Obama in intraparty battles.
Isn’t comforting to think that the fate and direction of the country is dependent on the “independents” who are by and large uninformed and misinformed with most not knowing the difference between a filibuster and a Philly Cheese Steak?
He has no real intention to get elected to a second term…just scorch and burn and get the hell outta Dodge. People like Dean better wake-up and smell the coffee, because it’s already getting late…in fact, the fact that Dean doesn’t get it makes me look at him and think “Say Wha???”.
No problem, Friend! I might have comprehended it wrong as well. We are both looking for the same, and have yet to see it.
LOL! True. He does scare them. At least he seems to have citizens at heart. I don’t know anyone else besides Bernie Sanders that does right now.
Yeah, sane republicans and I’d add former democrats that are disgusted with Democrats too, and others that really are far left (socialists, anarchists, real libertarians)
It would be poetic justice to see Dean primary out Obama. Dean did so much to get Barry elected then Dean was dumped and we got Emanuel.
Kass, he has no chance to get re-elected.
For him to even be able to run, he needed to mount one hell of a salvage operation. He COULD have done it, in the first 6 months of his term in office, but when he utterly ducked confronting the republicans and laid down like a dog for them, the repubs sniffed political blood, and the voters sniffed an unprincipled hack, and a wimp of one, at that. Viz: the mid-term shellacking.
Now, the repubs in congress practically have locks on the board, and if we thought they were obstructionist before, what do you think they’ll be now that John Boehner has Obama’s political nads sitting on his desk like a couple of toys?
Mr. Centrist is going to need GOP approval to go take a leak. Anyone think the republicans will let him do things that will rescue his “Titanic” of an administration?
He’s basically a caretaker president. A seat-warmer and protector of the status quo. Only now, you can’t spin him as anything else. He’s all the way out of the corporate closet. And when everything the voters are saying will be:
“Either you dump him, or there won’t be enough dems left in congress for a good round-pound.”
then, the democrats will pull the plug on him.
The only way he gets to run again is if huge numbers of Dems in congress like the idea of losing their seats when they have to run on Obama’s miserable coattails…and they won’t like it.
Also, those “internal” polls showing that 69% of liberals still support him sound totally bogus, to me. I’d like to see the specifics of the polling.
Who are those “liberals” and who defined them?
Who commissioned the poll and when and where was it taken?
Anyone who thinks he’s going to run again, please put up the reasons you think he can hang onto enough political capital to do that, when he and the party he “leads” just got strip-searched and hung out to dry by the voters, and when the republican party that he did so much rehab on, is now repaying him by saying:
“Shit over here, Mr. President…Now, shit over there. Good dog! Here’s a yummy for you.”
This guy is going to be a political footnote:
First black president.
And, author of The Idiot’s Manual for how to fuck up a can of peaches and squander an historical opportunity to get the country back on the right track.
That’s it. -30-
You shouldn’t forget the headline that was in a British tabloid in 2004, “How can 56 million voters be so stupid?” or H.L. Mencken’s “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.”
I don’t think that we really know exactly who the “Independents” are- maybe the parties do but they aren’t sharing. . The group that has been astro-turfed the worst is the Teabaggers but it’s probably a bad idea to be condescending towards them as it looks like Obama supporters bought our own “pig in a poke”.
The concern about no democrats wanting to point out that Obama’s politically buck naked, is premature. The angst is coming from people who evidently think that the political landscape in 18 months is going to look the same as it does now, which is a huge mistake.
All of the people pooh-poohing a primary challenge to him, much less, a “voluntary” pass on a second term, a la LBJ, need to answer the same question: how is he going to hang onto enough clout to run again?
Some fatcat dems are already threatening to close their checkbooks. In another year, politically speaking, Obama’s going to look like a downtown D.C. panhandler, sleeping on a grating.
It aint rocket science, either we dump him, or the voters will utterly trash the party. If he absolutely insists on running again, it will tear the democratic party to pieces.
Anecdotally, at the university where I work the student enthusiasm for Obama that was evident two years ago seems to be gone. During the midterms, the only political thing I saw on campus was sidewalk chalk messages from the Young Republicans. This compares apples and oranges, but I think the feeling is a recognition that all that hope and change rhetoric was just the public bullshit required to get elected. I’d be very surprised to see students (and faculty) supporting Obama in 2012 like they did in 2008.
There’s a limit to ignoring your own self-interest. And both the voters (as we just saw) and the dem congers, are headed there.
Let’s simplify: two interesting things recently happened in american politics:
Barack Obama talked a good talk and by doing so, helped democrats to an historic win against republicans. The voters were absolutely right to choose him, instead of McCain
He then proceeded to utterly squander the opportunity to do the job we hired him for, and six weeks ago, the same electorate began the process of firing him.
If someone on this thread thinks he can reverse that, then, again, please post the plan.
I bet I know of a guy living in a large white house on Pennsylvania Avenue who would hire you to be on his staff, in a heartbeat.
IF our votes even count anymore. after Citizen’s United, I really wonder.
Then, there was the democratic voter suppression in the Halter/Lincoln race.
That’s a great point. On many issues, independent voters track with Democrats, not Republicans. So by moving right, Obama actually loses Democratic and Independent voters who disagree with him on issues and will never gain Republican voters who may agree with him on this or that issue but, won’t support him because, ummm, they’re Republicans!
I’ve seem Democrats do this kind of shit since that A-hole Reagan was in office. And I’m tired of it. If Barack wants to get re-elected, he’ll do it with out both my help and my vote.
Hint to all democrats in the house and senate trying to get re-elected in 2012
here is something to think about.
have you viewed the Bold Progressive commercial about OBAMA 2008 opposing the Bush Tax Cuts?
Imagine yourself in this commercial having to defend the fact you voted with the most hated democrat in the land. “OBAMA”
Any rational candidate that wants to primary a dem, will do this! Yes! in 2012 democrats are going to use Obama against Dems that follow him.
this is way to easy, to do.
Once you know your with DUMMY, you leave DUmmy
just something to think about Dems in the House and Senate. (your picture in a commercial with Obama during a Democratic primary)
Good Luck!
Oldgold; I don’t feel “taken for granted”…I feel like I’ve had the shit beat out of me, and then, my body parts sold for zoo-food to the carnivores.
So he’s going to go all out.
All out, all in. Either way, he walks away from the table with no chips.
Plus, the benefit Obama had during the election of possibly being the first black President will be absent in 2012.
That was Clinton, silly!
And he’s single handedly destroyed the possibility of another black president in the foreseeable future. At least for Harold Ford.
That’s the benefit of trotting out a “good cop” when the bad one’s schtick has run its course.
IF the democrats arn’t primary with there will to follow Obama’s leadership the Republican’s will.
I completely agree but please don’t even mention Ford. He is just too slimy for words.
Yes! they will
It is to easy to do!
Obama will be so toxic in 2012, any Dem that votes with Obama will have to plan to be link to OBAMA, by Dems and Republicans.
Obama is not going to help any Dem get more votes, he will only help people running against dems.
this is not rocket science! everyone is going to do it
“But as we’re seeing, attacking the left does not automatically win the center.”
Bingo! :o)
And the fact that Barack Obama obviously believes that it does win the center, is plenty good reason to gin up the political dogpile on him, early and often. :o)
Bluetoe, he’s done worse that that; he may have singlehandedly destroyed for the foreseeable future, the possibility of anyone with the word “liberal” or “progressive” within a country mile of their name, being elected.
The Obama story is that Republicans held 98% of Americans “hostage”? Aside from the treasonous implications, why couldn’t Obama win this one with such overwhelming support?
Think of all the great speaches he didn’t make. He won’t be any stronger or more courageous one or two years from now; why hope for better?
The Social Security tax ‘holiday’ is a Trojan Horse that bears special scrutiny. He signed off on this? He’s an intelligent man; this can only mean one thing…
Uh-oh.
Nothing about Obama’s approach to ‘fiscal austerity’ creates consumer demand, or a vibrant middle class to support it. Wealth accumulates in a smaller and smaller circle, and the idea of a representative democracy will suffer with unknown consequences.
Here’s Howard Dean, sneakin’ off the reservation… :o)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/12/howard-dean-tax-deal_n_795501.html
(Sorry, I meant “speeches,” but you knew that.)
Hey, where did all the fiscal hawks go when wealth goes to the wealthiest and adds to the deficit? (Hint: Republicans don’t care about the deficit; they want to de-fund government.)
these are strange times though. Logic and a common sense interpretation of politics may not really work anymore. If the shadow gov wants him on the ticket,he’s on and if they want him in he’s in.
On my blog at Open Salon, I posted something very similar to this piece:
The Mythical Independent ‘Middle’
The system is broken, corporatism rules, and I’m tired of defending Pelosi.
If Obama’s numbers get into the low 30′s in mid-2012 (and they will…)
it won’t matter WHAT “the shadow government” wants; he’ll be a political ebola virus, and the democrats in congress (part of the “shadow government”) will choose the chance to hang onto their jobs, rather than the near-certainty of a worse ass-kicking than the one they just had.
Yeah, I feel that too. Hell’s bells, if Senate Dems were that loyal there’d never be a successful “filibuster”. A large portion of the Dem populace are clearly morons. They don’t give a flying f*ck what the Prez does (to them) or says (to them), it is just all flowers and candy to them.
If Bush were in office doing the EXACT same shit that Obama is doing (no stretch there – they are the same policies!) these same insanely loyal Dems would be screaming bloody murder.
I have no patience for them. Idiots. They’re as bad as teabaggers who are INTENT on seeing their own best interests screwed over for the sake of the rich.
Even with the repetition, I enjoyed the 8.5 hours of Sen. Sanders from VT (independent socialist) in the background on my computer last Friday.
Capitulation and even having Pres. Clinton filling in at the podium of reporters on Friday was also hilarious for me.
Clinton – NAFTA and dissolving of Glass-Stegal by Greenspan, Sumners and Geitner and the GOP- now thats a show!
While Bush was in office, the value of my house dropped 40 percent in one year so that it’s now worth less than I paid for it 8 years ago. Now Obama is in charge, and I’m unemployed. What’s next?
Teddy Partridge is upstairs!
Sunday Late Night: Nature Bats Last
President Obama might be able to win re-election in 2012, but only if he pulls a Joe Lieberman and runs as an independent, like when Lieberman won “re-election” by getting enough Republicans and conservative Blue Dog Democrats to vote for him.
This is why establishment Democrats are predicting that the Bush/Obama tax cut extensions will pass before their expiration date, because Republicans in the House, along with the Blue Dog Democrat caucus and enough die-hard Obama backers, will see to it passing, rubber-stamping the Senate version, saddling our nation with an additional $5 to $6 trillion budgetary shortfall over the next ten years, crippling federal programs and services, to say nothing of crippling our federal government’s regulatory ability…just what the Republicans want.
I’m not surprised by the 69% liberal support. It only makes sense given Obama’s standing at 42% overall approval. Think about it. Republicans are deadset against Obama, and so called independents, who really only account for 7% of the electorate, are not committed to Obama. So who is keeping Obama afloat in the 40s? Democrats.
And why would 69% of liberals still support Obama? Easy. They don’t want to admit to themselves that they were conned in 2008.
Let’s face it. No one likes to admit that they were duped, and turning on Obama after voting for him is admitting to being duped. It is never easy to admit. Yes, I know. That makes me a dupe too, but I acknowledged my dupedom after the public option sellout.
Unfortunately, Obama will have to keep kicking liberals in the balls for the rest of them to realize that they have been had.
He walks away from office with millions of chips.
Oooh, excellent phrase. I’m stealing that one!!!
Obama hasn’t realized he can’t dip back into the 1990s well again. This isn’t the 1990s. People expected more than that, and we’ve gotten less. And the solutions back then are totally insufficient to the scale of today’s problems. Some of those ‘solutions’ helped cause today’s problems. It’s also when this country began to think their equity was a free ATM card with no consequences (no thanks to the wealthy who hoarded all the wealth, leaving nothing for the middle class), and wowy did that catch up to us.
As an Independent voter, I can tell you the strategy definitely isn’t working. As horrible as thing as it might be, the Republicans have the Democrats on this one. For all their faults (and they are many), the Republicans are largely who they claim to be. The Democrats on the other hand, talk progressive but by their actions betray Progressives. To their credit, the Republicans don’t leave much in the way of surprises – it’s always about a tax cut.
The Obama administration has bailed out the Wall Street banked (a la Robert Rubin), passed a so-called health care bill without a public option – which is just mandating people buy a crappy product, and is damned and determined to ram through another job-killing trade deal with Asia (a la Bill Clinton). With dubious accomplishments like that, its no wonder that many Independents and swing-voters prefer that boring certainty of the Republicans – at least they know what to expect.
That my thought.lost me in the health insurance with tax cuts who could trust a democrat
Right on!
Obama has completely destroyed the myth of Democrats being for the working man or woman. The trillion dollar present to Wall St, the bail outs, all the pork for the pharmaceuticals spell corruption to me.
A trillion dollars to Wall street and what did the Democrats do for the working folks? Why they got us higher unemployment!
The independents were the reason for the November election results. Too far left…too far right…the independents will put you in your place.
Well said.
Any candidate still has to get votes. They can’t JUST win an election with campaign donations. And these days, the public is pretty much wise to politicians’ hypocrisy… and sometimes that means voting against their own interest, just to make a point.
I guess it’s time to switch my party registration to independent.
I didn’t do it this past year, because there were some interesting races in PA in the primaries, but that’s not likely to happen again in 2012.
Ditto!
The Democratic GOTV effort in 2012 may be slim, if it exists at all.
I’m not, either. After all, he signed that slightly better health care bill in MA.
I’ll be voting for local candidates in 2012, but that may be as high up as I go.
Who can admire anyone who betrays those who got him elected? Certainly not Republicans or Independents.