Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Bouncing Along Between Joy and Despair
I am very thankful that now there is no pervasive sense of an underlying inevitablility of re-election that was present when Bill Clinton went for a second term; but one recent poll or another, one current story or another, fills me with joy at the contemplation of Obama losing huge or despair at the prospect of his squeeking across the electoral finish line. He's over 50% and growing at Intrade. That ain't so good.
But with the near desertion of white voters, who put him in office just over 3 years ago, and other things he's doing wrong or failing to do well, I begin to feel better. Here's a little tidbit from The Hill which causes my heart to soar--as much as it can; it's his choice of how to campaign just now. The Quote I like:
(Emphasis added).
I certainly think first: What accomplishments? But let's look at the "running against Congress meme" closely. Lots of people say he's doing it, comparing it to Truman's run against a do-nothing Congress in 1948. But it's not a do-nothing House (they're doing their jobs), it's a do-nothing Senate (no budget for 3 years, very few consents to nominations, no oversight of agencies, etc.). And the Senate is Democrat controlled. So he's running against his own party? He's running against do-nothing Democrat Senators? Really? He thinks this is the road to a second term?
But with the near desertion of white voters, who put him in office just over 3 years ago, and other things he's doing wrong or failing to do well, I begin to feel better. Here's a little tidbit from The Hill which causes my heart to soar--as much as it can; it's his choice of how to campaign just now. The Quote I like:
It has become increasingly clear over the last several months that Obama has little interest in tacking to the political middle to improve his standing with the broad center of the country.
He has decided that he wants his presidency to mean something different, and he has made the fateful decision that he will govern as a left-wing political populist. That is why he has embraced the Occupy Wall Street movement, why he keeps using class-warfare rhetoric, why he has given up on deal-cutting, why he has decided to run against Congress rather than on his accomplishments.
(Emphasis added).
I certainly think first: What accomplishments? But let's look at the "running against Congress meme" closely. Lots of people say he's doing it, comparing it to Truman's run against a do-nothing Congress in 1948. But it's not a do-nothing House (they're doing their jobs), it's a do-nothing Senate (no budget for 3 years, very few consents to nominations, no oversight of agencies, etc.). And the Senate is Democrat controlled. So he's running against his own party? He's running against do-nothing Democrat Senators? Really? He thinks this is the road to a second term?
Labels: Obama Re-election Prospects
