Posted on 04/13/2012 9:45:20 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
With the general election now underway, it’s tempting to assume that President Obama has a built-in advantage by having at his disposal a campaign operation that earned universal plaudits in 2008. But as Team Obama itself already knows—or, if not, will soon come to realize—the 2012 contest will be very different from the president’s triumphant march to the White House four years ago. The key question will be how the old campaign staff responds to the new electoral landscape. Here are seven realities that Team Obama will have to adjust to.
2012 will be a referendum, not a choice. One of the best established findings of contemporary political science is that in presidential contests involving an incumbent, the incumbent’s record is central to the public’s judgment. A race for an open Oval Office is about promises and personalities; a campaign for reelection is about the record and performance of the person currently occupying the White House. To be sure, Obama can offer his vision for the future and new proposals to flesh it out. But if the people don’t approve of his record, that won’t matter much.
No more promises of bipartisanship. Obama will have to abandon—or at least radically modify—the promise to heal a polarized political system that was at the heart of his rise to national prominence, starting with his dramatic address at the 2004 Democratic convention. And because his inability to foster this reconciliation has disappointed many people who voted for him in 2008, he’ll have to explain why he couldn’t do it in a way that redirects that disappointment toward the Republican Party and its nominee.
No more “Yes, we can.”
(Excerpt) Read more at tnr.com ...
Really?...I feel sorry for you
Really?....As much as a lot of people hate Romulus you better damn well vote for him over Obango!
Who are you, the reciprocal KKK? I will vote, or not vote, for whomever I damn well please.
So, unless you live in one of these three states, you aren't going to help decide the presidential election anyway. But you damn will better turn out to elect Senators and Congressmen who will reign either a Marxist or a RINO.
Yeah, I know, there are people in semi-swing states such as Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, Missouri, New Mexico and Virginia who honestly think they help decide presidential elections.
There is an infinitesimal chance that you might. But the reality is that the same demographics and dynamics which determine the outcome in the big three swing states also determine the outcome in the semi-swingers.
Do these people think that the Supreme Court would have had those 2 idiots appointed under Romney. I suggest all of you know that there is no bigger destroyer to this nation than Big Ears. NONE! Mittens ain't my fav but if you want the SC changed to a USSR then stay home or vote for an unelected 3rd party. Personally, I like Mittens much better than McLame.
Well, there’s still at least one way they’ll be similar.
Some people will once again come to the conclusion that neither of these men should be our president, and refuse to vote for one of them.
Good luck RNC. You’re going to need a boatload of it.
A side effect of this massive rejection is that otherwise obvious and objective differences are ignored or denied. This is a well-known phenomenon in the social psychology of attitude structure, and familiar to students of the history of political ideologies, religious movements, and related "causes.".
Zealots of all kinds, regardless of content, do the same thing--"you have to be exactly what I want you to be or you are totally unacceptable and therefore lumped into an undifferentiated mass." This is illustrated as, sooner or later, extreme movements always splinter over sometimes tiny insignificant differences.
Not surprisingly, that characterizes the conservative movement's efforts in the recent primary campaign.
“I do not for a second believe that Mitt Romney hates America.”
Agreed and I think this is VITALLY important.
When Arnold took the reigns in California, the state was about the fifth economic power on the planet. When he left office it was about th 10th.
The business and private sector flight out of the state during his terms in office, was massife.
Don't kid yourself what a RINO is capable of.
Take a peek at this post on this thread. Then tell me you're anxious to vote for Mitt.
I am not.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2871677/posts?page=11#11
I was a Santorum supporter, but I am not inclined to not vote for another candidate if they will be good for the nation.
That post number 11 on this thread looms large. A Romney term in office would not be good for this nation.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2871677/posts?page=11#11
Nice. It’s not pleasant, but it’s the honest truth we have to deal with.
I agree. This article is the least dishonest thing I've seen written by a commie in a long time.
It does appear Romney is going to be the candidate. If people, especially Conservative feel the way you posted, then the country is surely lost; even if Romney wins w/o their votes. If they can not see the real and present danger 4 more years of obama poses, and the ability of a Romney presidency to at the very least slow down the accelerated slide, then there is no hope.
At the very least, the next president will get to place one, if not two Supreme Court Justices. We know what type of judge, and I use that term loosely, obama will nominate. That alone should be enough to make even the most vehement anti- Romeny Conservative take notice.
So you may vote for Obama?....God help you!
“Do you really think Romney will do worse than McLame? With $4 gas, 16% real unemployment, recurring $1.5 trillion deficits, and serious inflation in everyday items?”
You’re right; the article mentions Iran, but it has been years since most voters had the luxury of worrying about so distant a threat. People looking for their next rent or mortgage payment don’t give Iran a second thought when it comes to elections, and libs are dreaming if they think Obama will win on any international issues - they are irrelevant in this election (with the exception of the southern border).
“you get the feeling that the Left as a bunch - when candid - isn’t very upbeat about O’s re-election prospects.”
With good reason; they know things are much worse now than 4 years ago for most Americans.
“You can try to convince me that I am wrong, but I do not for a second believe that Mitt Romney hates America.”
You’re right; he’s not my first choice, but I think he realizes what America did for him personally while the token president wants to “fundamentally change” it.
His biggest weakness should have been Obamacare, but the selection of Romney nullifies that.
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