The difference between Obama's base and the folks who rearranged their lives to help get him elected

[peace13]

The base it would appear, is those who would vote for him because he seems honest and educated and he doesn't embarrass us when he goes out to other nations. They feel that he is really a good listener.

The original base was the folks who opened their homes to Obama staff volunteers, made calls, gave financially out of family funds that were tight even then. People who had community meetings in their homes, proudly displayed Obama shirts and stickers, and gave more than they ever had to a candidate. There were the peace folks who were desperate to have someone in the White House who would stop the Iraq war and close the illegal prisons. And then there were those who felt strongly that the * Administration should be examined and held accountable for war crimes and crimes against our Constitution.

I wish Obama well with his reelection campaign. Despite the strong base, a lot has changed but then...a lot has stayed the same.

[Big Blue Marble]

1. So well said.

Those were heady times so full of expectancy. As you say, times have changed.

[daleanime]

2. With all due respect to those who disagree with me...

he will probably get my vote(don't see the Republicans running a more moderate repug and I doubt the machine will allow a more progressive alternative), but money or passion? Not happening. :banghead:


Oh, I still try to sway any one I can-because even small improvements are important, but its not enough to take those tiny steps when we have so far to go.

[unblock]

3. in a one-dimensional world, you only need to be closer to the center than the other guy.

given how extreme right-wing the republican party has become, obama need only be just a tad to the left of them in order to lay claim to the entire left and center, leaving only the extreme right for the republicans.

obviously, the world is not entirely one-dimensional, but this has a lot to do with where obama is finding his "middle ground".


as for his base, he has several bases. there is (at least) the rhetorical base and then there is his power structure/funding base. he wants to (and may well need to) raise a billion dollars, and that's simply not happening without raising big bucks from big sources. some of these sources are unabashedly liberal, but many, even the liberals, have business interests, or other considerations that push obama to the right of where most of us here would like to see him.

with the republicans playing to the extreme right, he's got a wide area in which to pitch himself. he'll play it one way to raise money from the big guns, and another way to play to the voters to get out the vote.

and once re-elected, he'll continue to find "middle ground" among whatever players show up in washington, no matter how wacky or extreme.

[yodermon]

4. 80% of Democrats approve of Obama.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/politics.aspx

Now I'm curious about the 20% who disapprove: how many are conservaDems, and how many are disenchanted liberals (like in your 2nd paragraph above)?

I think the bulk of the 80% are the non-activist Democrats who pay attention (and vote) every 4 years.

[peace13]

5. The disenchanted liberals as you put it ...

can be totally aware of the positive changes that Obama and Congress did make over the past two years and still feel that there are several large items that have been left un-addressed. I was in the trenches in 2008 and feel that I contributed a lot to the Obama campaign. I did it for my country, for him, for my family and myself. Over the past two years we have been solicited weekly for funds so that the good work can continue. I have a disconnect between the gift of eternal tax cuts for the rich and Obama knocking on the doors of the 'Middle Class' to fund his campaign.

Barring any wildly stupid actions on his part, I am sure that I will vote for him. I just don't think that he understands how some feel that he used the funds from the Middle Class to fund the tax cuts for the rich. If I thought he would admit to that I would feel better somehow.

[sufrommich]

6. How do you know the political leanings of all the people

who donated time, money and meeting space to the campaign? I'm curious why this meme is always expressed as a given when polls show that 80% of self professed liberal democrats give Obama high marks.

[peace13]

8. I don't assume to know the leanings of 'all of the people'.

I do know the folks who I worked with and housed during the election process.

[hootinholler]

7. He doesn't need that base to make the contributions this time

Well, that's my fear, and I feel like we were all played to one degree or another.

-Hoot