Democratic candidates get some “help” from Obama
With a friend like this, who needs an enemy?
Ouch, this must hurt:
President Obama delivered a blow to Democratic Senate candidates looking to distance themselves from his flagging approval ratings Monday…
“The bottom line is though, these are all folks who vote with me; they have supported my agenda in Congress; they are on the right side of minimum wage; they are on the right side of fair pay; they are on the right side of rebuilding our infrastructure; they’re on the right side of early childhood education.”
Obama went on to say that his feelings weren’t hurt by Democrats who were reluctant to campaign with him.
“These are folks who are strong allies and supporters of me, and I tell them, I said, ‘You know what, you do what you need to do to win. I will be responsible for making sure our voters turn out.’”
The president’s remarks appear tailor-made for Republican attack ads in states like Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Kentucky and Alaska, where GOP candidates have painted their Democratic opponents as rubber stamps for the administration’s policies.
What’s going on here? Does Obama want those Democrats to lose?
There are three possibilities. The first is that he doesn’t realize how toxic he’s become. He’s isolated in the White House with his devotees, and that plus the depth of his narcissism protect him. Long story short, he actually thinks these sorts of statements are helpful.
The second is that he’s just trying to rally his base and get them to vote, saying (wink, wink) that these candidates distancing themselves from him is just a ruse, and that they’ll be good and loyal liberals once they’re safely elected.
The third is that he doesn’t care all that much if these people win or not, and that he’s punishing them for their desertion. His message is that, if they think they can run away from him, they’ve got another thing coming.
But why wouldn’t he care if they lose? Doesn’t he need them to be effective in his last two years as president? There’s a good chance that Obama doesn’t think so. He’s got this imperial presidency thing down pretty well by now. If he loses the Senate, he’s still got the veto, his pen, and his phone—and the excuse that he has to use them because the Republicans just won’t cooperate.
The three possibilities are not mutually exclusive, either.
[Neo-neocon is a writer with degrees in law and family therapy, who blogs at neo-neocon.]
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Comments
The man is constitutionally incapable of keeping himself to himself. He has to be the jewel in every crown, the focus of every story. Even where it could mean someone who supports him might eek out a victory, he’s going to make himself the top pig at the trough.
There’s a fourth possibility. He wants Congress to go to the Republicans – as long as there’s no impeachment super-majority. That way, he can claim that he had to ignore the Constitution and Congress because they’re just Republican obstructionists, and don’t count.
If you find this far-fetched, recall that Holder publicly declared that he did not have to respect Issa’s oversight committee because they were Republicans.
Obama knows there won’t be any impeachment. Removing him from office would make Joe Biden president and move the country from the frying pan into the fire. Biden is Obama’s insurance policy. No matter what he does and how many votes the GOP may have after these elections, making Biden president would be a very bad move indeed.
He’s a narcissist with a borderline personality disorder.
He surrounds himself with a bunch of sycophantic political hacks that tell him how amazing and brilliant he is all day. He refuses to pay attention to Republicans in Congress, so he has literally zero contact with people that don’t like him, despite the fact that his approval rating is barely 40%.
He is INCAPABLE of understanding that he isn’t the hottest thing on the block. In his mind he is the shit, the big cheese, the awesomeness that will save everybody.
Obama: I will be responsible for making sure our voters turn out.
Hmmm…I wonder how he’s gonna do that?
Executive Order #486219573249: WHEREAS the People’s Majority must be maintained, and WHEREAS Republican challengers threaten the People’s Majority, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that all voters registered as Democrats must turn out in November 2014 and vote straight Democrat tickets.
I wouldn’t put it past him.
It’s a matter of ego and this president has an enormous one. Despite the fact that a majority of Americans never wanted Obamacare and still don’t, he is determined to keep it in place. He simply seems unable to accept that the country that elected him twice doesn’t like his programs or the way he mishandles his presidency. But, he has an adoring 40% who will approve of him whatever he does (or doesn’t) do.
Maybe he WANTS a Republican Congress.
I’m not sure what I’m about to say makes sense, but what may be going on is that he knows Obamacare is going to require a major legislative overhaul soon. Maybe Obama thinks that if Republicans control Congress they’ll be under political pressure to “fix” it since they know he will not repeal it. And if Republicans have to offer up legislation to fix it, then that will be a backdoor way of making it bi-partisan. Both parties will then have to live with either “making it work” or repealing it later under a different president.
I’m not sure this is it, but I’ve been trying to think of what strategic or tactical advantage Obama can get from a Republican Congress. Because it does seem like he is subtly trying to sabotage Democrat chances of holding the Senate for some reason.
“His message is that, if they think they can run away from him, they’ve got another thing coming.”
The correct expression is “they’ve got another THINK coming.” Google it.