It Seems The Economy Is Burying President Obama's Accomplishments

[DemocratSinceBirth]

He got Osama...

He overthrew Khadafy with no loss of American life...

He provided a competent response to Hurricane Irene...


And his poll numbers continue to sag. He just can not get any traction...

[Vincardog]

1. May be if he would quit implementing Rethuglican policies it might help

[woo me with science]

18. +1

[Whisp]

20. yeh, being responsible during the Hurricane is a Republican crap policy.

you do know what they think of government and the services it provides during hurricanes?

what are you talking about?

[Vincardog]

33. Where is the withdrawal from Iraq? Single payer health CARE? Renegotiating NAFTA? How about that

TRANSPARENCY? The end to Lobbyists running our government? Are we to forget everything because of one success?
What are you talking about?

[bornskeptic]

40. The US has a treaty obligation to keep troops in Iraq until the end of tis year.

Obama opposed single-payer throughout his campaign. If he had advocated single-payer, Hillary Clinton or John McCain would be President now. Single-payer advocates seem to be totally oblivious to the rather obvious fact that implementing sinle-payer coverage would cost something over a trillion dollars annually which would have to be paid for through taxes, added to the deficit, or some combination.

[Vincardog]

43. Everything the government does has to be paid for through taxes, added to the deficit, or some comb.

BO said he would not sign any health care bill that did not include a public option.
What else you got?

[Whisp]

49. its more than one success. you want THE LIST?

no, didn't think so.
just enjoy your misery and that nothing can ever get better again ever because Obama fucked up all the universes, known and unknown.

[DFab420]

2. You forgot about the jobs..

[GSanon]

31. Interesting!

A bottoming in the dy/dx (also called Inflection Point) exactly dead center at the inauguration! This should be a t-shirt!

[DJ13]

3. Then theres only one way to fix that

Begin (finally) to concentrate on the economy.

And I dont mean funnel more money to the already well off, he needs to work on increasing jobs and reversing the stagnant wages for those already employed.

And no, extending the FICA cut isnt doing anything.

[Bake]

4. Maybe another tax cut for the "job creators" would help.

I bet he could get bipartisan support (i.e., Rethug) support for that.

:sarcasm:

Bake

[okieinpain]

6. those job creators are under a lot of stress. have you no heart.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1845240

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. I Just Think Those Who Discount The Economy's Effect

I just think those who discount how President Obama's reelection chances are inextricably linked to the economy are whistling past the graveyard. The fact he can't get any traction after the successes I referred to ,imho, demonstrates that...

Up until two or so weeks ago I thought a Perry presidency was completely outside the realm of possibility. Now I am not so sure. And that thought makes me shudder.

[phantom power]

7. Sky-high unemployment trumps foreign policy. This is not news.

Unemployed Americans staring at moving their families to refrigerator boxes and watching their hopes of comfortable retirement evaporate do not give a shit about bin Laden or Khadafy.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. Exacty

That's why I think Alan Lichtman's "Fourteen or is it Fifteen Keys To Victory" is vapid nonsense.

[Cali_Democrat]

9. I'm sorry, but the notion that Obama himself overthrew Qadaffi is absurd

it was a broad coalition, but most of the credit goes to the Libyan people themselves.

Regardless, Americans don't really give a shit abut Libya. Americans want jobs and they want them now.

[JoePhilly]

14. Really ... cause I heard that Obama started a war in Libya to steal their oil.

Your position seems to be that Obama played no significant role.

And, while DU exploded over it for weeks, now that Obama's approach worked, its a non-issue. DU is a funny place sometimes.

Of course the reality is that Obama worked effectively with our NATO allies, and they helped the Libyan people achieve their goal. And he didn't need to send in ground troops for years and years, to do it.

A very stark contrast with the GOP's approach to such things. But why give Obama any credit, nope ... can't do that.

[Cali_Democrat]

21. I didn't say that he didn't play a role

I said "the notion that Obama himself overthrew Qadaffi is absurd". Try actually reading my post before replying with strawman arguments.

BTW, Americans don't really give a shit about Libya.

[JoePhilly]

22. So you agree Obama deserves some credit for Libya?

I do agree that Americans don't really care about Libya, and that the screaming about it on DU (mostly negative towards Obama) has been pretty silly.

But Americans do care about foreign policy "victories" ... and Obama is accumulating them. OBL dead. Dictator involved in the PAN AM 103 bombing, removed with no US casualties. Sure, most Americans can't find Libya on a map ... but they do get the short story on it. And, the contrast between that and Iraq is, again, stark.

[Cali_Democrat]

24. Sure he deserves some credit

The US makes up much of the NATO alliance and without NATO bombs and missiles, I'm not sure Gaddafi would have been overthrown. But still, much of the credit should go to the Libyan people themselves.

I don't understand why you keep wanting to discuss DU with me. There are a broad range of opinions on DU and I'm not sure why that would shock you.

Americans truly don't give a shit about Libya. The overthrow of Gaddafi is going to do nothing to enhance Obama's reelection chances. It's pretty much a dead issue when it comes to the 2012 election.

[JoePhilly]

27. Kind of like OBL being a dead issue ... got it.

[Cali_Democrat]

28. OBL mattered much more to Americans than Gaddafi.

[golfguru]

38. Once upon a time....Iran had a brutal dictator...

then revolution happened in Iran and the brutal dictator Shah Pahlavi
was overthrown. And then Iran became a vibrant democracy and prosperous.
Libya, Egypt, Yemen will all follow with that happy outcome.

In fact the very same happy & prosperous Iran helped Libyan rebels,
albeit discreetly...happy days are here again!!!

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jj6m9cMuH8ZXj5AgMQLjLVHFDhlA?docId=CNG.9b666507647200654b641466e2317b3d.501

[Hawkowl]

10. New Free Trade Agreements will fix it for him

Fix him as in losing bigger than Mondale :rofl:

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. Mondale Wasn't An Incumbent

I don't think he's going to lose 49 states.

[Hawkowl]

15. You're right

I don't think he will lose 49 states. I think he will lose 40. Incumbency is a disadvantage when the economy is circling the drain.

[Freddie Stubbs]

16. Clinton pushed NAFTA and was reelected by a comfortable margin

[Hawkowl]

23. Due to Ross Perot

Perot split the Republicans. This is only a viable strategy for Obama if he can get Ron Paul to run as an independent.

[Freddie Stubbs]

26. Perot drew support from Democrats and Republicans in almost equal numbers:

http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/elections/natl.exit.poll/index1.html

[former9thward]

34. Those results are from '96 not '92.

1992 is when Perot did his best. But even the '96 poll results show people who voted for Perot in '92 but did not vote for him in '96 voted for Dole by a 2 to 1 margin. That demonstrates that had he not been in the race Bush I would have either won or done much better.

[Freddie Stubbs]

42. Perot didn't draw enough support from either candidate to affect the outcome of the 1992 election:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2P0pAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6NIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2332,4521931&dq=ross+perot's+presence+on+the+1992+presidential+ballot+did+not+change+the+outcome+of+the+election+according+to+an+analysis+of+the+second+choices+of+perot+supporters&hl=en

[former9thward]

46. I am not blaming you but the link gives no numbers just an assertion.

Which is not backed up by anything. Also it is a static analysis. Who knows what may have changed in voters minds in a two man race.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

51. We Do Know That In 1992 Sixty Three Percent Of Voters Voted Against The Incumbent

That's a large pool of voters from which Clinton could have mined. I can find the links to research that suggest that suggest Clinton would have still defeated Bush Pere even without Perot in the race if you want.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

50. That's Not Fair

I hate to be blasphemous but Jesus Christ wasn't beating Clinton in 96.

Was it because he was a terrific president?

Depends on your point of view.

IMHO, he won reelection because personal income and the GDP was up and unemployment was down. If personal income was down and unemployment was up I would have predicted he would suffer the same fate as I am afraid President Obama will.

That' why Clinton left office with a 70% approval rating despite being impeached.

[Beacool]

45. Clinton had a booming economy and Obama does not.

It's that simple. During the Clinton years the US had the largest economic growth in 40 years and 22 million jobs were created.

Clinton could run today and still be reelected.

:shrug:

[JoePhilly]

12. Forgot the DOW ... up from ~7500 to ~11,500 .... but Obama hates business!!!!

[JoePhilly]

13. And the GDP

[woo me with science]

17. Yay! War in ANOTHER country! nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. It's the Economy stupid!

He's followed Clinton everywhere else like a puppy dog, why not the slogan that won Clinton the election?

[TwilightGardener]

25. Yes--that was the goal. "One-term President."

[Tarheel_Dem]

29. You've got a dozen Pubs running for the nomination, and that's where the M$M

has focused it's attention, for now. Every Puke in the race is taking aim at the WH instead of each other, so I don't panic that his numbers have fallen, it was inevitable. When the nominee emerges, expect some of the focus of the media to shift to the race between Obama & whomever it may be.

Let's be honest, the American people focus on whatever the media is pushing at the moment. It's been 24/7 Libya, and the horserace between Bach/Rom/Perry. It's kinda difficult for the WH to break through when the media can only concentrate on one or two storylines at once. :hi:

[Skittles]

30. and he should have figured that out on DAY ONE

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

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[Enrique]

35. just like Poppy Bush

who vanquished bad guys from Saddam Hussein to Manuel Noriega only to have the economy overshadow it.

[RandomKoolzip]

36. He did it to himself.

Sorry, can't feel sorry for a guy who royally fucks it up (on purpose? can't tell) every time he gets handed the goddamn ball. At this point I don't even think he WANTS a second term.

[LatteLibertine]

37. Well it shouldn't be ignored

that the Republicans and their corporate masters want him chased out of office so they're doing all they can to keep the economy slowed down.

You all think this is bad? Let us get a Scott Walker clone in the White House and a Congress under Republican control.

[krispos42]

39. And the economy is burying him because of a lack of...

...accomplishment on NOT being a corporatist.

[LaydeeBug]

41. His poll numbers now reflect the social security assault. nt

[Beacool]

44. Maybe because "he" didn't personally do the things you mentioned.

The Navy Seals got Osama. He had to be dragged before he agreed on the Libyan fly-over and NATO took the lead (particularly France). As for Irene, the state governors and mayors like Bloomberg in NYC were the ones spearheading their respective states relief efforts and city responses (as it should be). We'll see how well FEMA handles the many claims.

Yes, he gave the orders to capture Osama and to do the flyover and yes, he didn't have an embarrassing Katrina Bush moment; but none of this matters when millions of people can't find a job and when those lucky enough to be employed worry about losing the job they do have. The economy and job creation is what will make or break Obama in 2012.

:shrug:

[ljm2002]

47. This surprises you because?...

...with the economy as bad as it is, and in particular, with millions of people unemployed and no prospects of good jobs in the near future, this is guaranteed to be the #1 issue with voters.

Meanwhile, DC fiddles while the US burns.

Screw 'em all, or at least most of 'em. They are NOT interested in addressing the pressing problems of the day, but rather in being Leaders who Know What's Best for the rest of us and are determined that we will Take Our Medicine like good boys and girls, whether we like it or not.

It's up to us to get off our collective ass and throw them out of office. Bodily, if need be.

As for Obama, he continues to pander to the right, and I no longer believe it is appeasement but rather, he is pursuing the policies he wants to pursue. Therefore he deserves the sagging ratings. Unless someone lights a fire and gets him to come out swinging when making his jobs proposal, I predict his popularity will continue to sag. And I don't see any sign that his jobs proposal will be the bold stroke that is so needed right now.

He is wielding the power of the Presidency to the benefit of the wealthy elites, with crumbs for the rest of us.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

48. My sister has been out of work for 2 years now -

my Mom on SS will now have to move in with me part of the year because she can't afford to live on her own anymore, and the small business I work for has been slowly drowning the past four+ years.

"Bread and butter issues" -- that's what they used to call it when people voted based on how empty their stomach and wallets were.

Obama's economy is burying his other accomplishments because of choices he made very early on in his Presidentcy to focus almost solely on deficit reduction and tax cut-based "stimulus".

2012 will not be about Osama, will not be about Ghadafy, will not be about Irene -- it will be about empty stomachs and wallets.

And O better hope the American people are in a forgiving mood.

[Imajika]

52. The economy is bad...

So long as the economy sucks, most people are not going to care about all the other good things he has done.

As Carville said in 1992, it's the economy stupid. It still holds true today.

If in November 2012 the economy still sucks this bad, President Obama will not win a second term. If on the other hand, over the next year the economy seems to be improving enough that Obama can say things have turned around and prosperity is ahead, he will win.

The President basically has 1 year to turn the economy around, or hope it does on its own. By Labor Day 2012, most people's opinions will be locked in and anything that happens after that will be irrelevant. We have one year to hope things get better.