Wake up Mr. President! You may have just lost the independent voters

[Fearless]

Ok let me say this first: It doesn't matter if he is actually looking to cut/slash/manipulate Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid, it is irrelevant to my point here.

The point is that there are a lot of voters who he did have vote for him in 2008 who don't normally vote for Democrats. He picked them up because of "hope and change" feel-good politics. It was a brilliant campaign strategy. But the rumor that he will cut these social programs alone is enough to turn people away. It doesn't matter if it's true. People who wouldn't normally vote for him will not vote for him, IMHO, if they believe he will cut these social programs (regardless if it is true). Additionally, for the same reason, the Republican base will be energized because they will believe that he needs to be stopped from touching these programs (regardless of if he actually wants to). And finally, many Democrats who believe that he wants to touch these programs will stay home. They will be disenchanted. For instance, there is a poll on DU right now asking if you would vote for Obama if the election was today. It is currently running at 76-21-3%... Yes, no- stay home, and no- republican candidate respectively. If on DU 25% of his most ardent supporters are saying that they will not vote for him, what will less committed voters do? Those who need inspiration to get out to vote? It's a scary proposition that the Administration needs to deal with now. This will not go away. Republicans already are harping on "Obamacare", "he hasn't created jobs", and "tax and spend", issues that have been around for YEARS. These issues will follow him to the general election and so will this social program fiasco if he doesn't shape up immediately, locate some authority and condemn in no uncertain terms that these social programs (and others like Food Stamps, Pell Grants, etc.) will NOT be touched in the coming weeks. If he doesn't, THE REPUBLICANS WILL WIN.

WAKE UP MR. PRESIDENT!


Edit: Spelling

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[Fearless]

2. Reread what I said. Because I didn't say anything you've claimed I did.

[SkyDaddy7]

15. I honestly think many here want a Republican President...

They NEVER listen to what Obama says but they sure do adhere to Conservative media if it says what they want to believe about Obama.

Not sure why independents would vote Republican if they are not going to vote for Obama due to the idea he might slash SS?

[Hand_With_Eyes]

22. "Not sure why independents would vote Republican if they are not going to vote for Obama"

More likely they would either go third party or not bother voting at all.

[CakeGrrl]

3. "25% of his most ardent supporters" - not true

DU is not representative of the national Dem/Liberal landscape, therefore a DU poll is in no way the pulse of the national landscape.

National Dem/Liberal job approval for the President has held steady around 80%. (See Gallup at any point in time).

If people want to stay home, no one can prevent it, but they run the risk that Republicans will take over and finish off the middle class for a good long time.

[Fearless]

5. 80% instead of 76%? That's a whopper of a difference! ...Except not.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[RaleighNCDUer]

7. Gallup lies.

And I would give odds that if you polled 'did you vote for Obama in 08' and 'did you vote for Democrats in 10' you would get FAR higher than the national average on DU.

The 'DU is too liberal for Obama' meme is a fucking lie created by the so-called centrists - many of whom I suspect are trolls who are only here to create a false impression that progressive ideas are unwelcome in the party.

[NorthCarolina]

18. Is it somehow deemed preferable for a Democrat to "finish off the middle class"? n/t

[elocs]

4. Evidently no cherished Democratic values or programs are too dear not to be compromised away.

It's hard to express how sad and disappointed I am about all of this, but then it will be explained to us too dense to understand how none of this means what it appears to mean and it is all a distorted media conspiracy and that Obama is really a stalwart champion of Social Security and Medicare and all social programs that help the needy in our society.

In short, we should not worry and be happy, trusting that Obama has our best interests at heart.

[global1]

8. No Matter What The Outcome Of This Debt Ceiling And Deficit Reduction That's .......

going down - the Repugs will find a way to pin blame on Obama and the Dems. They always seem to turn a Lose-Lose situation for them into a Win-Win. They are masters at doing this and they have MSM to help them.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

16. ...they have the MSM and support from many here at DU who seem not to

understand that the goal is to destroy the economy knowing that we will blame Obama/The Democrats.

When the Dems controlled the House and Senate, there were a number of jobs bills that were either held up in the Senate or pushed back by the House.

Now that the Repukes control the House, there is absolutely NO jobs bills. There has not been ONE bill! NOT ONE!!

And yet, day in and day out, DUers sit on this forum and blame Obama 24/7. It is as if they don't fully have a grasp of how basic civics works.

Any program or proposal that is put forth must be approved by the House. Of course, the Repukes are going to shoot down ANY proposal that has the goal of improving the economy or creating jobs.

Not to mention, the Repuke governors are slashing jobs left and right in their respective states, sending the unemployment rate up. And yet, who do many DUers blame? That's right!!!

[blkmusclmachine]

9. Obama already said he's OK being a 1 termer.

Sounds like it was the plan from the very beginning.

[jefferson_dem]

11. Yeah!

And Repug front-runner Michele Bachmann says he will be a one-termer indeed.

[jenmito]

25. And so are you. You've been saying you're "done" with him since you got here. n/t

[polichick]

26. Maybe so - use every "crisis" to move the country right, and then cash in.

[jefferson_dem]

10. "If on DU 25% of his most ardent supporters are saying that they will not vote for him..."

A hint: Most of those who say they will not vote for him didn't before and wouldn't vote for him in 2012 regardless of what he does. They are hardly "his most ardent supporters". At any rate, he's president of the entire US, not DU.

[JoePhilly]

14. +100

[Fearless]

19. Hint: Most of us DID support him actually. Nice try though.

[Palmer Eldritch]

12. Based on nothing but rumor?

[CrazyBob]

13. Those new "hope and change" voters....

they turned away from Obama long ago. And if he is ever to get them back, he'll have to woo them some other way. The hope and change thing died as soon as he took office. He's just not the transformative leader many of us hoped he would be.

[robcon]

17. He doesn't have to get back the 'hope and change' voters.

He has to retain independents - which he will by a bigger margin than in 2008, because the GOP candidates are pathetic, with no appeal to independents.

[Fearless]

20. Not if they think he'll touch SS et. al.

[CrazyBob]

21. Its the same people-nt

[onenote]

23. You think the repub base will be energized to stop Obama from touching Medicare & Social Security?

Huh? Do you think the repubs are going to nominate someone who opposes those cuts? Who would that be?

[jenmito]

24. This is all based on one article by the Washington Post which Jay Carney refuted. But for those who

WANT to believe it anyway, like Ed Schultz, whose entire show was based on "if this is true," NOTHING will change their minds.