Democratic Pollsters: Obama Should Step Down
Posted by Jimmy Mengel - Monday, November 28th, 2011
Over the holiday weekend President Obama paid a visit to Towson University, my alma mater. He brought along the first lady to take in a Towson Tigers' basketball game. But it turns out that he was there to cheer the visiting Oregon State Beavers, coached by his brother-in-law.
This is rather telling...
Now, as an alumni I obviously feel that Mr. Obama was rooting for the wrong team. But in general, it feels like Mr. Obama is often rooting against the ultimate home team: the American people. Much like his public cheering of Oregon State, he has also been rather candid recently about his feelings for Americans. Within the last month alone, he has blamed the American voters for "getting soft", being "lazy" and lacking "ambition and imagination".
Here's the president on his recent Asia-Pacific tour, dishing out some tough love:
“Over the last decade, we became a country that relied too much on what we bought and consumed.”
This comment led many to draw the parallel to one-term President Jimmy Carter, who made similar comments shortly before losing his re-election campaign:
“Too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns.”
Carter's "Crisis of Confidence" speech completely backfired. It seems that people don't like their elected leaders blaming them for the nation's ills...what a surprise.
This type of behavior has led former Carter pollster Patrick Cadell to join Bill Clinton pollster Douglas Schoen in calling for Obama to step aside and abandon his re-election campaign. From their Wall Street Journal op-ed:
When Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson accepted the reality that they could not effectively govern the nation if they sought re-election to the White House, both men took the moral high ground and decided against running for a new term as president. President Obama is facing a similar reality—and he must reach the same conclusion....Put simply, it seems that the White House has concluded that if the president cannot run on his record, he will need to wage the most negative campaign in history to stand any chance. With his job approval ratings below 45% overall and below 40% on the economy, the president cannot affirmatively make the case that voters are better off now than they were four years ago. He—like everyone else—knows that they are worse off.
They both suggest that Hillary Clinton take the reigns from Obama in order to save the Democratic Party. But they aren't the only ones losing hope...
Even his number one fan, Chris Matthews has turned on him. The fiery MSNBC host, who famously said that he got a "chill up his leg" every time he heard Obama speak has expressed his disappointment in the President.
I think everybody feels an absence of communication from the time he’s been elected...I don’t think they like being in the White House. The American people can tell that. They don’t seem thrilled at the fact the American people have selected them as our first family. I don’t sense the gratitude, the happiness level, the thrill of being president.…Why does he want a second term? Would he tell us? What’s he going to do in the second term? More of this? Is this it? Is this as good as it gets? Where are we going? Are we going to do something the second term? He has yet to tell us. He has not said one thing about what he would do in the second term.
If he even wants a second term, I suggest that Mr. Obama start cheering for the home team before the chorus of boos drowns him out entirely...
Ex-Bill Clinton pollster urges Obama to give up WH bid for Hillary
President Obama stands with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as he announces that she will travel to Myanmar, on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia summit in Nusa Dua, on the island of Bali, Indonesia, Nov. 18, 2011.
(Credit: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)UPDATED 8:32 a.m. ET
President Obama should give up on the idea of another four years in office, paving the way for Hillary Clinton to run as the Democratic nominee, two Democratic pollsters wrote in Monday's Wall Street Journal.
Doug Schoen, who worked for Bill Clinton, and Pat Caddell, who worked for Jimmy Carter, argued that Obama should follow the example of Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson, who each decided not to run again.
"He should abandon his candidacy for re-election in favor of a clear alternative, one capable not only of saving the Democratic Party, but more important, of governing effectively and in a way that preserves the most important of the president's accomplishments. He should step aside for the one candidate who would become, by acclamation, the nominee of the Democratic Party: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton," they wrote, reviving an argument they first made in theWashington Post a year ago.
The crux of their argument is based on the notion that Mr. Obama would be ineffective in his second term because he will be forced to run a negative campaign to win.
"By going down the re-election road and into partisan mode, the president has effectively guaranteed that the remainder of his term will be marred by the resentment and division that have eroded our national identity, common purpose, and most of all, our economic strength," they wrote.
But if Mr. Obama were to step aside for Hillary, it would be good for both Democrats and the country, they argued, "not only is Mrs. Clinton better positioned to win in 2012 than Mr. Obama, but she is better positioned to govern if she does."
"If President Obama were to withdraw, he would put great pressure on the Republicans to come to the table and negotiate--especially if the president singularly focused in the way we have suggested on the economy, job creation, and debt and deficit reduction. By taking himself out of the campaign, he would change the dynamic from who is more to blame--George W. Bush or Barack Obama?--to a more constructive dialogue about our nation's future," they wrote.
The two pollsters insisted they were not betraying their party and said they had not been in touch with the Secretary of State or her political aides. They do not say the same about Mr. Clinton.
"We write as patriots and Democrats--concerned about the fate of our party and, most of all, our country. We do not write as people who have been in contact with Mrs. Clinton or her political operation. Nor would we expect to be directly involved in any Clinton campaign," they wrote.
Asked by CBS News chief White House correspondent Norah O'Donnell last week if she would run for president again, Clinton said "no, no."
"I had a great run, I was very grateful that I could do that. I felt just really good about the experience but that was then and this is now and I'm looking forward," she said.
President Obama 'should step aside and let Hillary Clinton run for president' according to Democratic pollsters
Last updated at 7:59 PM on 21st November 2011
Barack Obama should make way for Hillary Clinton to run for president next year, two top Democratic pollsters claimed today.
Despite the Secretary of State's insistence that she has no plans to try again, her supporters claim she would now be the clear choice to unite the party and be a more effective leader.
Writing in today's Wall Street Journal, Doug Schoen, a former Bill Clinton aide, and Pat Caddell, who worked for Jimmy Carter, claimed there were precedents for Mr Obama stepping down after one term in the White House.
Step aside: Two Democratic pollsters believe Barack Obama should not run for president in 2012 so that Hillary Clinton can
Both Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson both decided not to run again
'He should abandon his candidacy for re-election in favor of a clear alternative, one capable not only of saving the Democratic Party, but more important, of governing effectively and in a way that preserves the most important of the president's accomplishments.
'He should step aside for the one candidate who would become, by acclamation, the nominee of the Democratic Party: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,' they wrote.
The Democrats first raised the argument in the Washington Post a year ago, even before the president's approval figures started plunging in the polls.
They claim that Mr. Obama would be ineffective in his second term because he will be forced to run a negative campaign to win.
One person who still supports President Obama is wife Michelle, picture on Monday giving her husband a supportive squeeze
'By going down the re-election road and into partisan mode, the president has effectively guaranteed that the remainder of his term will be marred by the resentment and division that have eroded our national identity, common purpose, and most of all, our economic strength,' they wrote.
'Not only is Mrs. Clinton better positioned to win in 2012 than Mr. Obama, but she is better positioned to govern if she does,' they added.
They claim the switch would leave the Republicans more vulnerable.
'If President Obama were to withdraw, he would put great pressure on the Republicans to come to the table and negotiate--especially if the president singularly focused in the way we have suggested on the economy, job creation, and debt and deficit reduction.
While Clinton has served Obama as Secretary of State, the pollsters believe, 'Not only is Mrs. Clinton better positioned to win in 2012 than Mr. Obama, but she is better positioned to govern if she does'
'By taking himself out of the campaign, he would change the dynamic from who is more to blame--George W. Bush or Barack Obama?--to a more constructive dialogue about our nation's future,' they wrote.
They insisted they were not betraying their party. 'We write as patriots and Democrats--concerned about the fate of our party and, most of all, our country. We do not write as people who have been in contact with Mrs. Clinton or her political operation. Nor would we expect to be directly involved in any Clinton campaign,' they added.
The former First Lady has repeatedly said she plans to leave the State Department after one term, but she is not contemplating a presidential run. There was also speculation that she would oust Vice President Joe Biden to form a 'dream team' with Mr Obama.
Asked last week on CBS if she would run for president again, Mrs Clinton said "no, no."
'I had a great run, I was very grateful that I could do that. I felt just really good about the experience but that was then and this is now and I'm looking forward,' she said.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2064427/President-Obama-step-aside-let-Hillary-Clinton-run-president-according-Democratic-pollsters.html#ixzz1f4aIAviT
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar