Right up front, if Barack Obama runs for a second term, I will not support a primary challenge

[tavalon]

As frustrated as I am with his style of leadership, I don't care to see Jeb Bush's, and that's just who we'll get if we primary President Obama. Make no mistake, we can enjoy joking about Palin and Bachmann and even "Man on Dog" Santorum but when the Republican primaries end, Jeb is on top, so we need a strong contender. Either a non-primaried incumbent or someone really strong.

Now, I was just looking at a bit of LBJ history and he didn't decline to run until late and sure, part of his decision probably had to do with people threatening primaries but here's where I'm going. I think we need to bat around some ideas about who would be viable candidates if Obama decides not to run in 2012.

I'm not trying to start a flame war here. Obama is my first pick but if he decides, for whatever reason, not to run, who would you guys like to see up against Jeb?

My pick is Dean but I know the media will replay that scream. I think it won't have any impact anymore but I'm open to discussion.

And lastly, if you don't want to have a real discussion about this, move on to another topic. I'm not looking for a flamefest. I would like some well considered discussion on this issue. Thanks in advance.

[customerserviceguy]

1. What makes you think that Jeb Bush is acceptable to the Pukes?

I have to snort like crazy when Chris Matthews makes that assertion on his show, but Jebby has a fatal flaw in the eyes of too many Rethuglicans, he's pro-amnesty for illegal immigrants. That might be pleasing to his Florida farmer base, but it doesn't sell well with the rest of the country.

I think we are going to wind up with Caribou Barbie as the GOP nominee, she's not even making coy remarks about the prospect of running these days, she's just nakedly saying to her base that she wants it. Being as the fundies have only two choices, nanny-stater Hucksterbee (whose pardons of a cop killer destroyed his chances) and the Church Lady, they'll go with the latter to stop Romney.

Frankly, a Romney nomination is my wish. The fundies would rather keep the devil they know (Obama) than give the LDS missionaries trying to poach their flocks another talking point about Mormonism. They'd either undervote at the top of the ticket, or find some pathetic religious fifth party candidate to vote for as a protest.

[tavalon]

2. He'll get over his illegal aliens stance and any other problem stances

He wants it bad and he won't need all the grooming his idiot brother needed. What makes me believe they are going to put him out there is because they are letting all the sillies play their little games and they're keeping quite the lid on Jebbie. Oh, he's here or there, but he really doesn't have much to say. Not much to say means not much to defend. I didn't say we couldn't beat him but I think he's their ace up their sleeves.

I think the power behind the GOP (which has nothing to do with teabaggers or teabagging) already have their person picked out and it isn't Palin or Huckabee, nor Romney, though they are happy to have us chase those three and not even notice what's happening in the other hand. The biggest deficit Jeb has is the Bush name. America has surprisingly short memories.

Can you tell I've stopped having much belief in that which I've come to call voting theater? The choices get made in other places than the ballot box. In both big parties.

[customerserviceguy]

24. He'll have a hard time getting over his illegal aliens stance

with an immigrant wife to deal with. And she's the chief reason why none of the Pukes will believe Jebby if he recants on that. Look how many of them refer to "Romneycare" with the same reverence they hold "Obamacare" in. They don't have terribly short memories.

I think that the smoke filled room, and the "whose turn is it?" mentality were indeed how Rethugs chose their leaders in the past, but the tea party victories in the primaries were the game changer. Here we are about a year before the campaigning in Iowa will be at a fevered pitch, and the only Repig with any significant momentum is Caribou Barbie. Her book tour is well timed.

Even Mittens has said that he's going to go slow on running this year, I read an article about how he thinks he's well-known enough to not have another exploratory committee. Yeah, he's well known all right, between his religion and his flip-flops, he doesn't stand a chance.

I'll agree that Jebbie may well be the choice of the establishment Rethuglicans, but even some of them like Haley Barbour better as the "whose turn is it" candidate. In any case, the first three primary/caucus states are smaller states where the establishment has proven it has little power, relatively speaking.

[tavalon]

11. BTW, if I'm wrong and the important decisions aren't made in smoke filled back rooms

and Palin runs. I'm going to have the funnest year ever. She is so not able to govern her mouth or her children, much less this government. We win by default.

[zbdent]

12. Don't get you hopes up if Palin runs ... there may be a worldwide shortage

of turd polish products at this moment (they're doing the job on the Bush pResidency), but there will be plenty available to polish the runny diarrhea that is Palin ... remember, all those defense contractors who are afraid that they might lose a dime in funding will be pushing the chemical manufacturers to push the supply ...

[awoke_in_2003]

26. "We win by default"...

to turn around a famous saying- nobody ever made money overestimating the intelligence of the American people. Palin as a candidate should be a scary proposition- this stupid country might just elect that airhead (hell, Reagan and Bush both served two terms)

[butterfly77]

40. I believe Pawlenty..

is their real pick..

[RichGirl]

3. I'm with you 100%.

It all comes down to one thing for me...trust. I trust Obama. Also important, intelligence and knowledge.

By the second term he'll know more, know what he's up against...and he'll have put the pink tutu in the closet. The birther, Muslim crap will be old news.

New president, regardless of who he/she is, new crap to keep everyone distracted, etc.

One can only hope that the republican voters will wisen up or at least get bored with the constant barage of warnings. Obama will not have destroyed life as we know it, they won't be standing in soup lines, etc.

I was listening to some dolt, Alex Jones I believe, on a tirade when Obama and family went on their recent trip to the middle east claiming that they were going to safety leaving the rest of us here to die. He never said how or why. How often do they have to cry wolf before people are on to them...even the dimwitted tea baggers.

[tavalon]

7. I have a gut feeling that Obama is going to choose to be a single term

President and that leaves us very vulnerable.

[marlakay]

34. Its more like he acts like he doesn't

want to get re elected. Sometimes you get the feeling he is screwing it up on purpose because the job is too much for him. I can't imagine all he walked into, more than he ever thought it would be. He had no idea when he started all this of the total financial collapse he would have to try and fix while managing two wars. Sometimes I think we forget how young he is. Kennedy was young too but he had his brother helping him and a bunch of older wise people helping including Johnson who was a tough MF!!

[GodlessBiker]

4. Way too early to decide. Talk to me a year from now.

[tavalon]

8. Okay, I bookmarked it. I'm expecting you to be part of the brainstorming session

[GodlessBiker]

10. Fair enough.

[flpoljunkie]

5. JEB! recently said he's not running in 2012, but would not say he'd never run.

[tavalon]

6. He won't run against Obama. I told you he was the smarter of the Bush boys

But if Obama steps down for whatever reason, I think he'll have his mind changed very easily. Otherwise, he's likely looking at 2016.

[tavalon]

9. I'm a nightshifter so I'm heading to bed but I look forward to discussing this further

When I get up.

[bigwillq]

13. Obama is running.

End of story.
And I WILL support a primary challenge. I support primary challenges for all incumbents at every level.
Don't know who I would want it to be, and I may not even vote for them, but I feel incumbents should always face a primary challenge.

[Phx_Dem]

14. If Obama is primaried, it will be the last time I ever vote for a Democrat.

If they insist on destroying their own candidates, as they seem to want to do to Obama, I want no part of this party.

[alcibiades_mystery]

15. I will be with you, and so will the majority of black voters

The so-called progressives can have their ideological fringe party, and the rest of us will just try to survive under the GOP domination they worked so hard to give us.

[truebrit71]

16. "so-called progressives"...how very centrist of you...

..we've had a milquetoast effort at best by the guy that promised us change and hope for very little result...in case you haven't noticed we are under GOP domination NOW...and have been since Obama was sworn into office...because he won't fight back..

But that's okay, you keep on playing that three dimensional chess and in the meantime the "so-called progressives" will fight to get someone in the WH that actually does bring some fucking change..

[alcibiades_mystery]

17. I'm not a centrist at all

I'm a leftist. It's sad to see what used to be the Left acting like a bunch of imbeciles, however. But I'll leave you to your nonsense.

If you primary Obama, I'm well through with all of you, in any case. I don't surround myself with self-destructive idiots. It's harder to survive that way.

[LAGC]

38. Bullshit.

Once you see who the Republicans nominate, you'll come whimpering back and vote for the D.

[Phx_Dem]

22. Everythink you said is bullshit. n/t

[impik]

25. Me too. I'll stay home in 2012. I'm sure the so called progressives

who actually object any kind of progress - can make Dean president...

[TheKentuckian]

30. Then you do not believe in the system and don't want party divides settled in house.

How can we even approximate democracy in a corporate owned two party system where incumbents cannot be challenged?

Our candidate would be the winner of the primary, that is the system.

[kiva]

37. So when someone says they don't support the president's

policies they are immediately swarmed with "guess you'll be happy when Palin wins", but if you say you'll walk away if Obama is primaried, that's perfectly OK. Right. :eyes:

[lumberjack_jeff]

18. If the primary were today, I'd support his challenger.

Unless it were Lieberman, Nelson or Zell Miller.

He's gonna have to win me back.

[avaistheone1]

20. I think I would too.

Almost everyday Obama does something new to let down Democrats.

I am getting very sick of him. Today if it were election time I would vote for the challenger.

[ibegurpard]

36. second

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BlueIris]

21. As I've admitted before, I would support anyone else for the Dem nom.

Literally anyone. So I don't care who it is.

[Kaleva]

23. rec'd

[Odin2005]

27. I will, I cannot suport a man that gives POPPY BUSH the Medal of Freedom.

I refuse to vote for Fascists and apologists for Fascists.

[TobileStack]

28. re: primary challenge

I don't think Jeb will get the nomination. It will probably be someone like Romney.

A primary challenge may not be a bad thing. The long primaries in 2008 helped Obama become a stronger candidate.

[Autumn]

29. I will support a primary challenge.

I really don't see Jeb Bush being the nominee for the republicans. We need leadership. Six more years of reaching across to the republicans will kill us.

[burning rain]

31. Well, I'm sure that clinches it!

The Democratic Party will not want to lose the support of DUer "tavalon," so I'm sure there'll be no primary challenge to the president in 2012.

[grumgrum]

32. Alan Grayson, Anthony Weiner, Russ Feingold -- My vote is with them.

I'm tired of corporate democrats and that includes Hilary.

[marlakay]

33. I agree we wouldn't have a chance

I think to choose anyone else would split the party and the chance of winning again. Let the repubs fight it out not us. I am more worried that Bloomberg will run taking the middle and that will cause the right to win just from them taking our votes away from conservative dems and independents.

Obama is going to have to change himself to get the youth back. I heard last night the youth was the only demographic white vote he won of people from 18-29. He got 23 million of them out and only 5 mil voted in this last election. He will have to do some cool computer stuff or fix his image immediately to get them back!

[ibegurpard]

35. you do what you think you need to do

[Bonobo]

39. I will.

Furthermore, I will never again cast a vote for a "lesser of two evils" candidate.

[Catherina]

41. I will support a Primary challenger and work hard to get them elected. n/t

[DemocraticPilgrim]

42. EXACTLY, history and stats show that Obama MUST run he's got the money and the energy to do it...

If we feel that his diplomatic style lacks fight we must put up the fight for him.

[Pacifist Patriot]

43. If Obama faces a primary challenge, who are the most likely challengers?