Do you think that the left has given up on Prez Obama and are considering finding a

[mfcorey1]

new candidate for 2012? That would explain their reluctance to fight for the house and the senate. Just wondering/

[Orangepeel]

1. no. n/t

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. God no.

LOL

[liberal N proud]

3. :

:wtf:

[RKP5637]

4. No. n/t

[Pab Sungenis]

5. I wish we could.

But we can't. 2016 is our next chance.

[obxhead]

31. Ditto.

[bigwillq]

6. No (nt)

[JuniperLea]

7. Nope...

We're being told that is what we want... but we are being told a lot about us these days... all bullshit.

[Ken Burch]

8. It's the DLC that isn't fighitng for Congress...not "the left"

It damn sure isn't "the left" that started the meme that Obama would be "liberated" by a GOP takeover this fall.

[laughingliberal]

20. No kidding! That column by Lanny Davis was nauseating. nt

[ladjf]

41. ... also Bill Clinton floated the same idea that Obama might be

more likely to win in 2012 if the Pubs take over in November. Not good. nt

[laughingliberal]

50. Jeebus! I hope he's not listening to these people! nt

[Radical Activist]

61. So far

the only place I've seen the idea that Obama would be "liberated" by a GOP takeover is from you and one other poster at DU.

[Autumn]

9. No I think we have to

hang on till 2016.

[DesertFlower]

10. no. nt

[NYC_SKP]

11. Ummm,

No.

(eom)

[AlinPA]

12. That sounds stupid.

[lunatica]

13. No I don't think the left have given up on Obama

It may be slow and painful but he's headed in the right direction. That's all I really expected, because we have some truly entrenched psychopaths in the Republican part. Having studied their mendacious bulldoggery during the Clinton Administration and their rubber-stamping orgy during the Bush Administration I didn't expect them to suddenly change and start to play nice. They have sworn themselves the enemies of the Democrats.

It's not like they have bad days occasionally and decide to vote against progress. They only have bad days.

[ingac70]

14. NO.

[McCamy Taylor]

15. No, the corporate media wants us to think that the Dem base has given up.

I am the base and I am 100% Dem, now more than ever.

[DrDan]

16. I think it is the other way around

[gateley]

17. No. I keep learning more and more what he's doing behind the scenes and feel

more confident of him than ever.

[Jamastiene]

18. No, not really. n/t

[Bitwit1234]

19. I think with new people around him

President Obama will realize that he is supposed to be fighting for the American People. I think the guys,not the gals, are pushing him in big business direction. Let's hope that he realizes that we elected him to get the job done for the American people and not big business.

I still think Hillary could have cleaned this mess up better. But Obama beat her in the primary and we staked our hopes on him. He did give us some stuff. But it was watered down a lot. Lets hope we hold the house and the senate and that Obama gets off on a better foot with them. I also hope the Democrats in congress do the same that they fight for us and kick republican ass. It is time somebody in politics went with the people.

[ThomWV]

21. I think lots of Liberals will simply avoid the polls

[USArmyParatrooper]

22. No serious person really believes that. But that's some tastey red meat you just hung out there.

[laughingliberal]

23. No. Still fighting for my Democratic Senator. & have hope for Obama in the 2nd half of his term. nm

[joeybee12]

24. Do you think some have given up on meaningful posts and are considering posting only flamebait?

That would explain their reluctance to well, you know. Just wondering! :hi:

[mfcorey1]

25. This is just a lefty and always has been who is just wondering. There is no fire here.

[Ozymanithrax]

26. If they are, they are more abysmally uninformed than the teaparty.

Primary challenges of sitting Presidents in modern history don't go well. Johnson lost, and the White House went to Nixon. Ford beat Reagan but lost the White House to Carter. Carter beat Edward Kennedy but the White House went to Reagan. Even if the sitting President wins, he is weakened by the primary.

The worst possible Democrat is better than the best possible Republican in our two party, winner take all system.

[maxsolomon]

27. what's "the left"?

this is america - there is no "left". there is only centre-left, centre, far right, and fascists.

[old mark]

28. No one I know is suggesting that-we just want Obama to be a Democrat. nt

[blondeatlast]

29. Nope. nt

[Winterblues]

30. No but I have serious misgivings about voting for him a second time.

He had a golden opportunity to really address major problems in america, Health Care, financial, and cultural. He not only did nothing of value but IMo made things worse by giving the GOP Cult an opening by showing how what he has signed into law has not worked and it probably will not because the main problems were not even addressed..The Importance of a Public Option can not be overstated and the new financial regulations amount to about zero in the reform dept..Every step of the way he has gone to those that have created the situations and undermined those that truly want to fix things...I can not emphasize strongly enough my dissappointment in him..I suspect GITMO will still be torturing people long after he is gone..

[FrenchieCat]

32. Nope......

and rather than speculate on this,
I'd rather do what I can to elect Dems in 2010.
How about you?

[NanceGreggs]

33. Are you talking about the "left" in the real world ...

... or the (alleged) "left" on DU?

Just wonderin' - because there is a difference between the two.

:shrug:

[spanone]

34. what????

[Atticus]

35. Do you think that Christine O'Donnell is the love child of John McCain and Phyllis Schlafley? That

would explain their support of the mindless twit.

(Hey---if we're gonna just pull stuff out of our ass and post it for "discussion", let's at least slander the GOP!)

[Pisces]

36. Do you thing that witches and warlocks are the new GOP constituents??

[SidDithers]

37. Only the perpetually aggrieved have...

The rest of the left hasn't.

Sid

[Davis_X_Machina]

38. Yes. Suggestions as to an alternative...

...have been ongoing here since the middle of '09.

[NanceGreggs]

40. Actually they've been going on ...

... HERE since the middle of '08.

Some people like to do their Christmas shopping early. And some people like to get their dissatisfaction with the new prez rolled-out and ready-to-go the minute they realize their candidate-of-choice isn't going to be the Party's candidate.

It's the DU version of the Early Bird Special...

[JuniperLea]

43. I thought it was the KMart Blue Light Special...

Watch for the flashing blue light!

[NanceGreggs]

47. Whoa! Blinded by the light!

And tonight's Blue Light Special is ...

Pre-Twisted Knickers - already in a bunch since 2008, for everyone's convenience!

[POAS]

51. Do they put it in

lay-away until needed?

[JuniperLea]

52. LOL!

I forgot about lay-away! I'm sure there's plenty laid away... many more tricks up many more sleeves:)

[Radical Activist]

63. True.

"I knew Obama would be a disappointment! I've been telling you he would be since all along!"
Some people are a little too eager to be proven right.

[OHdem10]

39. No one is going to run against Obama.

[grantcart]

42. and why do such themes seem to populate DU and nowhere else

in the rational universe? Just wondering.

[JuniperLea]

44. Oh... "rational" universe...

I started my list, then reread... never mind!

[NanceGreggs]

49. ...

... no kiddin'.

:shrug:

[Radical Activist]

64. I have to disagree with your post

since it suggests that DU is still part of the rational universe.

[treestar]

45. Why don't they fight for the House and Senate so that the President can do

the maximum possible? Such people are overly focused on the President and need a civics lesson.

[POAS]

53. The years 2001 thru 2008

should have been civics lesson enough.

[azmouse]

46. No.

[TBF]

48. No, but I do think we are going to see unrest in other ways if

progress isn't made (ie People Need Jobs). But, no, I don't see anyone seriously running against Obama.

[depakid]

54. That depends- and I'm sure that some far sighted people are considering the possibility

For instance, in the even that Republicans do manage to gain a majority in Congress, and President Obama "works with them" to pass regressive policies;

And the economy continues to stagnate;

And his poll numbers are in the low 40's or high 30's,

Then I'd expect to see someone make a go at it- whether through a primary challenge or through a 3rd party. Or parties.

The general rule in politics is very much the same as in physics- it abhors a vacuum. Create one- and create the opportunity that someone and their supporting constituencies see as advantageous, and it will be filled.

People posting emphatic "no's" would do well to consider that two of the last three Democratic presidents faced a primary challenger(s)- one over a quagmire of a war, another over health care and the economy (elections which also spawned significant 3rd party challenges).

In Clinton's case- and also in the follow up with Gore, there was also a significant third party involvement which sought to fill the vacuum.

Botton line is that we're not going to know until we see how the next year plays out.

[Kahuna]

55. What the devil are you talking about?

:wtf:

[scheming daemons]

56. Thank you for your "concern"

:eyes:

[BlueIris]

57. Yes.

And I'm pretty sure the "new" guy has already been picked out.

[Radical Activist]

62. hah

Who would that be?

[ClarkUSA]

58. You don't speak for "the left" and neither do Obama's 24/7 critics.

The facts are on my side: Every credible poll taken since January 2009 shows that a huge majority of self-described liberals strongly approve of President Obama's job performance. Thus, the small sliver of The Perpetually Outraged do not represent the vast majority of American liberals at all.

In fact, President Obama's approval numbers are higher than Bill Clinton's at this same point in time, despite this economy being in far worse shape than it was in 1994.

BTW, I am one of those self-described liberals who strongly approve of President Obama.

You don't speak for me. Ditto for the OFA group members with whom I GOTV with every week on behalf of Joe Sestak.

[Tarheel_Dem]

59. And what news rag can we expect to see the results of this informal poll?

I'll give you points for comedy, but you get nothing for actual content.

[Hekate]

60. Hell no. What sort of fish do you expect to catch in that net?

[Radical Activist]

65. Obama is the most progressive President in two generations.

You can run a more liberal candidate but you won't elect a more liberal President. And even if you could, we'd still have Congress, which is already keeping Obama from governing as left as he would like.

The best bet for progressives still interested in electoral politics is to elect more Congressmen, Senators and Governors who will help push the country left. It will pay off over time.

[Davis_X_Machina]

68. Quite frankly, half or more of this board has...

...no interest in governing. You get instead politics-as-self-expression, where you choose your candidate, like any other consumer good, to signal to your neighbors and friends how you feel and what you feel about yourself, and the hipper, the better.

Where are the "No Logo" Democrats?

[TexasObserver]

66. Nope.

I think the right wing would like to float that meme and try to get legs under it, and I think they'd engage in a campaign online to create that meme, however.

[guardian]

67. No!

The President will run unopposed in primaries and win reelection in 2012.