2010 Election Concerns: What Democrats Need to Do.
It is a little over a year until the midterm elections, which is an eternity in politics, but now is the time for political parties to begin thinking about their 2010 campaigns. For Democrats, accord to the Washington Post, there are three areas that should concern them, the storm of anger from the far right, that we saw during the health care town-hall meetings this summer, their loss of popularity among independent voters, and some dissatisfaction among liberals.
Democrats should not worry too much about angry right wingers. They are most surely will not vote for a Democrat in any case. Indeed, their anger might actually be an advantage to Democrats. First their anger seems to be aimed at both political parties, therefore they may be unwilling to enthusiastically support Republican candidates. Second, the extreme Obama-hating virulence we hear in their rhetoric may well isolate them from independent voters.
Democrats also should not worry too much about liberal dissatisfaction. It is true that some liberal are not particularly happy that the liberal agenda has not moved as quickly as they had hoped. Nevertheless, Obama and the Democrats are their best hope. Democrats will have to find a way to keep them energized, but passing health-care reform and a few other minor victories will do that. Come election day, the liberals will be there.
The real concern is among independent voters, who were so instrumental in the outcome of the elections of 2006 and 2008. Last summer, Obama’s approval among independents was 65 percent. Now, it has dropped to 49 percent. This is a major problem and Democrats must do something about it. The main concerns independents have, according to the Washington Post, are unemployment, the growing deficit, and confusion about health care.
We should note here that it is typical for the party in power to lose seats in Congress at the midterm elections. Surely, that will happen in 2010. Nevertheless, for Democrats to hold on to their majority in both Houses, they must address the issues that concern independents. Here’s what I believe will happen. Democrats will pass some version of health-care reform, with or without Republican support. Republicans will do whatever they can to kill it and the legislation won’t contain everything liberals want, but health-care reform is a must and it will pass. The economy has already begun to turn around. By the middle of the summer of 2010, the recovery will be in full swing. Unemployment will still be a bit high, but it will be dropping. The recovery may sadden republicans, but it will give the Democrats a strong platform on which to run, and most important a, a solid argument for holding on to independent voters.
An issue that may be of more concern than any other is the war in Afghanistan. Even though this war was neglected for seven years before Obama took office, it is more every day becoming Obama's war. The president will have to find a strategy he can sell to both independents and liberals. That may turn out to be the most difficult problem of all. No one said being President of the United States would be easy.
- Bob Hertzog's blog
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LMAO ! I just love the infighting. Those angry right wingers you speak of have no worries.
The prisoner wishes to say a word.............Freedom!!!!!!!
aremost surely will not vote for a Democrat in any case.F.T.F.Y. Bob..
The disputes among Democrats may prove the most grueling test of all
It is not length of life, but depth of life.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
How a Man plays the game shows something of his character
How he loses shows all of it..
Some formerly blue dog Dems I personally know have gone rogue, thanks to the health care debate. They may just be the tip of the ice berg. Your post didn't address them, but I sense challenges ahead within the Democratic party - primarily due to continuing gargantuan and unsustainable expenditures by Obama and Pelosi.
I don't like the havoc McCain and Palin seemed to wreak amongst the Republican ranks, making Reps seem like the party of extreme right-wingers. It is not representative of the true Rep base, in my opinion, but I don't have the stats to back that up. Don't know if anyone else does, either.
As for the Independents, like me, I can tell you that I will closely scrutinize the voting records of all the Dems (and Reps) running for every position for which I'll vote. Since I'm a centrist, I will probably not vote for anyone with a strong liberal left bent. Unfortunately for the Dems, I think I'm representative of the vaster majority of Independents. I think the Dems' fear of mid-term elections is fully justified.
The so-called recovery is just the thin painted veneer over rotten wood. A jobless recovery is no recovery at all. Right now, we see the 'audacity of hope' in the stock market....but when things continue to sour at the grassroots level, it will fail. Inflation will exacerbate the failure, and we will be once again in a free fall. As I said in another thread, when I asked my stockbroker what to buy, he said, "canned goods and ammunition". Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly kidding.
- Thomas Paine
Maybe I am just naive but shouldn't the democrats just worry about getting their ideas out and be the best person for the job?
Hello all.... thanks for your comments.
Bard and some of the others have hit the nail square on the head.... it is the Democrats that Democrats have to worry about. However, anyone who has observed politics knows that internal disagreement is common to Democrats. It is what I like about Democrats, they are willing to fight a bit among themselves. Republicans walk the party line or get shoved out of the party. In the end, he said hopefully, Democrats will come together and support their party.
Your are absolutely right "a jobless recovery is no recovery at all." Hopefully, jobs will start coming back soon. I think unemployment has bottomed out and we will see that figure start to drop soon. Actually, this was predicted: that employment would be the last part of the economy to recover. That is the way it works in a recession and this was, as you know, a very deep recession. However, if employment does not start coming back soon, I'd agree Democrats are in big trouble.
Bob, hard as it may be to believe, an increasing number of Democrats will find it impossible to deny that Obama is intent on socializing this country. The facts are irrefutable. The 'cash for clunkers', the tax credits for new house buyers, his support for a global government. Sure, some people who live at the government teat would welcome a hand even deeper into the pocket of the self-sufficient wage earner but most will realize that socialization would mean the death of our great country. We don't have to look far off the coast of Florida to see what socialism really does to the human spirit. The left will lose lots of clout at the midterm. Thank God.
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. - Thomas Jefferson
How many democrats turned Republican vs how many Republicans turned democrat?
The prisoner wishes to say a word.............Freedom!!!!!!!
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- Thomas Paine
The prisoner wishes to say a word.............Freedom!!!!!!!