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 ...
What makes you think Romney would nominate conservative Justices?
His track record, as well as the track record of previous moderate Republican Presidents, argue against such an appointment.
Aye; same here.
WOW!! That’s impressive!
Mittens’ head looks too big for his body.
I’ll crawl over ten miles of broken glass to vote against Obama - which necessarily means I’ll be voting for Romney, but with a singular lack of enthusiasm. I’m getting seriously disgusted with the sh*t the GOP establishment keeps serving up for us.
Three things (two regrading Romney, one about voters):
1) It's a safe bet that he's not going to nominate the rabidly liberal types that obama has and is going to again, if he gets the chance.
2) Romney is a political wind sock, not a ideologue, like obama. With a more conservative Congress, and pressure from the right, his nominees will most likely be to the right of center. You can not say that about obama.
3) Even if you do not like Romney; he's not my first pick, taking a small step in the right direction is better than helping push the country off the abyss.
Look, this isn't personal salvation...picking the lesser of two evils is OK, and WILL help stop, or at least retard the downward slide the country is in.
Fight every step of the way, or abdicate the field: Small victories, or big loses...the choice is yours.
Obama’s biggest weakness is not the economy. It’s the disenchantment of so many whites who bought his 2008 message of of a new post racial tranquility, only to discover that he is a race baiting opportunist in the vein of Al Sharpton.
0bama’s scorched earth campaign may energize his base, but it will alienate everyone else. Democrats used to be better at this kind of stuff. This election, however, they are taking on a more bitter tone, and that will help Romney more than 0bama.
4 later
One belongs to a religion the allows multiple wives...
IMHO, this regime is planning a “Reichstag fire”, and then a declared National Emergency”... FUB0!
I wonder if they will bring back those styrofoam Greek columns for the convention.
Yes
there
is...
pathologically unbridled spending
In the immortal words of Dianne Feinstein...
Deal with it!
Not at all surprising, they were soiling their pants at the possibility that the great teleprompter reader would have to debate Newt...
Really.
If you own a small business, you should be able to find a difference. Your tax rate will go from 34% to mid 40's - the highest of the top 10 industrialized countries.
Do you have any capital gains? Was 15%, will be 24% - the highest of any industrialzed country.
Not much incentive for companies to keep any remaining manufacturing base in the U.S.
Nah, not much difference between the two./s/
I’ve read many times, and, believe that anytime an incumbant doesn’t have 50%, they’re in trouble!
Thanks for that post. I’ll be linking to it often.
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