Obama endorsements don't work. Americans are righting America's direction

[calfoxwc]

and yes, the American political pendulum always swings back the other direction.

 

The great ship America was going way off course.

 

Alas, poor Sheppie, he isn't here to see it. "sigh"

 

*****************************************

 

Obama endorsements don't seem to help Democrats

 

By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer Charles Babington, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 7 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Voters rejected one of President Barack Obama's hand-picked candidates and forced another into a runoff, the latest sign that his political capital is slipping beneath a wave of anti-establishment anger.

 

Sen. Arlen Specter became the fourth Democrat in seven months to lose a high-profile race despite the president's active involvement, raising doubts about Obama's ability to help fellow Democrats in this November's elections.

 

The first three candidates fell to Republicans. But Specter's loss Tuesday to Rep. Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania's Democratic senatorial primary cast doubts on Obama's influence and popularity even within his own party — and in a battleground state, no less.

 

Of course, it's possible that Democrats will fare better than expected this fall. And there's only so much that any president can do to help other candidates, especially in a non-presidential election year.

 

Still, Obama's poor record thus far could hurt his legislative agenda if Democratic lawmakers decide they need some distance from him as they seek re-election in what is shaping up as a pro-Republican year. Conversely, it might embolden Republican lawmakers and candidates who oppose him.

 

"We're licking our chops at running against President Obama," said Rand Paul, tea party candidate and victor in Kentucky's Republican primary for retiring GOP Sen. Jim Bunning's seat. Paul told CNN on Wednesday he'd relish Obama's campaigning on behalf of Democrat Jack Conway. Obama's agenda, Paul said, is "so far to the left, he's not popular in Kentucky."

 

Obama's track record also raises the question of whether he may be hurting candidates he supports by motivating his foes — such as tea party supporters — to vote. Though this month's AP-GfK Poll shows Americans split about evenly over how he's handling his job, those strongly disapproving outnumber people who strongly back him by 33 percent to 22 percent — not an enviable position for the president's party.

 

Sestak's victory over Specter is especially embarrassing, because he won by portraying himself and his supporters as being more faithful to the Democratic Party than were Specter and his backers — who included the president, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and other high-ranking party officials.

 

Creating another bruise for Obama and the Democratic establishment Tuesday, Sen. Blanche Lincoln was forced into a runoff in Arkansas' Democratic senatorial primary. Obama supports her bid for a third term, but he is not as closely associated with her campaign as he was with Specter's.

 

In previous months, Obama's endorsements and campaign appearances weren't enough to save then-Gov. Jon Corzine's re-election bid in New Jersey, Creigh Deeds' run for governor in Virginia or Martha Coakley's campaign in Massachusetts to keep the late Edward M. Kennedy's Senate seat in Democratic hands.

 

In fairness, Deeds was an underdog from the start, and Corzine brought many problems on himself. But the Coakley loss to Republican Scott Brown was excruciating. She once was considered a shoo-in, and her defeat restored the Republicans' ability to block Democratic bills with Senate filibusters.

 

Unlike the Corzine, Deeds and Coakley races, Obama made no late-campaign appearances for Specter. But it will be hard for the president to distance himself from Specter's career-ending loss.

 

Obama campaigned for Specter last September in Philadelphia, where he said, "I love Arlen Specter." Specter used the clip in recent TV ads. Obama also e-mailed his supporters on Specter's behalf, and he was the first person Specter thanked in his concession speech.

 

Vice President Joe Biden, a Pennsylvania native, made several appearances for Specter. Last week he told a Pittsburgh radio station, "Arlen is the Democratic candidate."

 

Moreover, Obama was central to an all-important deal with Specter that struck some Democratic voters as opportunistic at best.

 

Specter had been a Republican senator for 28 years, opposing countless Democratic bills and appointees even if he showed more independence than most lawmakers. Thirteen months ago, however, he concluded he could not win the GOP nomination for a sixth term against conservative Pat Toomey. He and top Democrats struck a deal.

 

Specter would become a Democrat, giving the party the crucial 60th Senate vote it needed to overcome Republican filibusters, which were frustrating the administration. In exchange, Obama, Biden, Rendell and the entire Democratic hierarchy agreed to support Specter's 2010 re-election, including efforts to clear his way to the party's nomination.

 

The losers in the deal were any longtime Democrats who aspired to the U.S. Senate. They essentially were told to step aside for an 80-year-old longtime Republican. Pennsylvania's Democratic voters were asked to concur.

 

Sestak, a former Navy vice admiral first elected to the House in 2006, refused to go along. He plugged away without help from the state or national party. A few weeks ago he trailed Specter by about 20 percentage points in polls of likely Democratic voters.

 

But Sestak caught fire in the closing days, partly through a TV ad showing Specter campaigning enthusiastically with then-President George W. Bush, who remains deeply unpopular with many Democratic primary voters.

 

In the past few weeks, the White House has played down Obama's role in the Tuesday primaries, and he spent Election Day in Ohio talking about the economy.

 

"At some point, you feel like we've done what we can do," senior White House adviser David Axelrod told The Associated Press in an interview. "We do have other stuff going on," he said.

 

Matt Bennett, a Democratic strategist and vice president of the group Third Way, said he doubts that Democratic lawmakers will panic over Obama's inability to help Specter to a victory.

 

"Presidents have coattails when their names are on the ballot," Bennett said, and that can't happen for Obama until 2012.

[Chicopee John]

I could be wrong, Cal, but it seems as the concept of a President having coat tails is obsolete.

 

You could see it while Bush was in office, too.

 

IMHO, people - especially in times like these with 24x7 media among other things - people are motivated by issues within their own states, be it US Senator, US Representative or Governor.

 

I kind of like the lack of coat tails. But it didn't start with Obama.

[heckofajobbrownie]

The deal when Specter switched parties was that Obama wouldn't campaign against him. So he didn't.

 

Specter has been a Republican his entire adult life, then became a Democrat in the last few months so he could retain his Senate seat. Sestak was always a Democrat.

 

It's not surprising that Democratic voters voted for the man who was an actual Democrat.

 

Presidents can help some, and they can help a lot if they're popular. And Obama is very popular with Democrats. But it doesn't make a huge difference if the president shows up at a campaign event once or twice a few weeks before an election.

[Chicopee John]

The deal when Specter switched parties was that Obama wouldn't campaign against him. So he didn't.

 

Specter has been a Republican his entire adult life, then became a Democrat in the last few months so he could retain his Senate seat. Sestak was always a Democrat.

 

It's not surprising that Democratic voters voted for the man who was an actual Democrat.

 

Presidents can help some, and they can help a lot if they're popular. And Obama is very popular with Democrats. But it doesn't make a huge difference if the president shows up at a campaign event once or twice a few weeks before an election.

 

 

And Gore's refusal to use Clinton cost him Arkansas and, probably, Georgia and - thus - the election. Clinton was HUGELY popular and a southern boy, at that.

 

[heckofajobbrownie]

Sestak would be a more reliable vote than Specter, even in Specter's latest reincarnation.

 

Specter's a good guy, but he deserved to lose this race. I don't get why the media treats these guys as if they have lifetime employment.

[Chicopee John]

Specter's a good guy, but he deserved to lose this race. I don't get why the media treats these guys as if they have lifetime employment.

 

Unfortunately, too many of them do. Some call it cult of personality.

 

[calfoxwc]

I agree, John, to a point.

 

When any president starts out very, very popular, and

 

loses his credibility in a year, that's bad.

 

I didn't say nobamao was the first to have it happen....

 

but the remarkable plummeting of Obamao's respect, due to his actions,

 

is very telling.

 

Bush ticked me off on not doing his job on illegal immigration, too.

 

And most of America got tired of him not solving problems,

 

and they are tired now, of Obamao CREATING them with vengence.

[heckofajobbrownie]

His approval rating is at 50% in a time when the unemployment rate is close to 10%. I'd be pretty happy with that.

[calfoxwc]

Not if you realize that THAT number is skewed hugely in your favor

 

based on the color of a major segment of American society that matches

 

the color of your skin.

 

Kinda like getting a 90 on a simple midterm, and

 

getting a 10 on the final.

 

"Yeah, I got a 50 for the course, yippee!" LOL

[heckofajobbrownie]

You're right. We shouldn't count the opinions of black americans.

[calfoxwc]

Another twisted turn of words, eh?

 

That is apparently all you have, nincompoop.

 

Of course the opinions of blacks should matter.

 

And whites, and reds, and greens, yellows purples,

 

tans, browns,...

 

That is the point, you burnt out lightbulb.

 

Gosh, let me try it:

 

"Yeah, you're right, Heck. Only black people matter

 

because the president is "black" , so there should

 

be a race war and all the white people should lose

 

their right to vote and become slaves, or the white

 

people are racists"

 

nah. That is also pretty stupid. I can never be as good

 

as dishonest setup rugpulling like you are.

[heckofajobbrownie]

Cal, you said Obama's approval rating is "skewed" by blacks, as if we should discount them somehow, or as if they're not entitled to approve of the president because, as you say, they're only doing it because they're black and he is too. If that wasn't your point, what was it?

 

Why would you write a post to say his approval rating is "skewed" by approval from black people if you think there's nothing wrong with it?

 

Also, let's follow your "logic": would that mean the reason older white men like you don't approve of the president is because he's not white like you?

 

88% of white men in Alabama voted for John McCain. By your logic, it could only be because they're racist, right?

 

Or maybe your logic isn't very good.

[calfoxwc]

Cal, you said Obama's approval rating is "skewed" by blacks, as if we should discount them somehow, or as if they're not entitled to approve of the president because, as you say, they're only doing it because they're black and he is too. If that wasn't your point, what was it?

 

Why would you write a post to say his approval rating is "skewed" by approval from black people if you think there's nothing wrong with it?

 

**********************************

Oh, stop with the thing you do to Steve, T, and even John.

 

What is it? 90-something percent of blacks approve of him?

 

That throws the curve off. Now, what are the chances that that 90-something

agree with everything he is doing.... if he were a white Republican?

 

No chance? Right. So, it's an identification thing for many, based on race.

 

Which throws the entire idea of his performance approval rating off badly.

 

That is "skewed". Nobody said anything about "discounting" anybody. The point,

 

you so desperately "miss", is that the across the board approval rating is very low,

 

and still going lower. for you to cherry pick the same race as Obamao for the high

 

"approval rating" is pretty much like saying Rush has an extremely high

 

approval rating with his supporters who listen to him loyally.

 

Very much like that. That is the point.

*******************************************

88% of white men in Alabama voted for John McCain. By your logic, it could only be because they're racist, right?

*******************************************

You just cherry picked again. That is one state. It would depend on who was running against him.

 

That's baloney. Do you, do DO YOU NOT, know, that a lot of blacks, most blacks, are

 

delighted that a black man got to become president? I don't blame them at the time.

 

but, voter regret is more and more prevalent with the black community.

 

do you think most whites are delighted that a white man finally was elected president when Bush won two terms?

 

don't say "Yes"... or the entire rest of the board will be spitting their water/beer/Coke/coffee

 

out on their keyboard.

 

That is also the point. If you don't get that, you've been programmed by

 

somebody who badly botched the job in college for you.