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Obama
Strains to Get Libs Back
Is
this a deathbed conversion?
With four weeks until Congressional
elections that will shape the remainder of his term, Obama is
increasingly
focused on generating enthusiasm within the base that helped put him in
the White House two years ago,
from college students to African-Americans.
But Obama has aimed much of his prodding - and not a small amount of
personal pique - at the liberals most
deflated by the first two years of his presidency. Assuming that many
independents are out of reach, White House
strategists are counting on Mr. Obama to energize, cajole, wheedle and
even shame the left into matching the
Tea Party momentum that has propelled Republicans this year.
But
Sir, where were you the last 14 months when the Tea Party was building
momentum?
Didn't your advisors tell you
that they were a growing force and getting ALL the TV attention?
Why did you wait 14 months to
join this fight, and then scold us to "Wake up?"
As he holds rallies aimed at
college students and minority groups, sends e-mail to his old list of
campaign
supporters and prepares to host a town hall-style meeting on MTV, the
president essentially is appealing to
his liberal base to put aside its disappointment in him. Without
offering regrets for policy choices that have
angered liberals, Obama argues that the Republican alternative is far
worse.
"You can't sit it out," he told college journalists last week. "You
can’t suddenly just check in once every
10 years or so, on an exciting presidential election, and then not pay
attention during big midterm elections
where we’ve got a real big choice between Democrats and Republicans."
He added that “the energy that
you were able to bring to our politics in 2008, that’s needed not less
now, it’s needed more now."
Third Way, an organization of centrist Democrats, produced a study
showing that liberals are the smallest share
of the electorate and not enough to keep Congress in Democratic
hands. Citing Gallup polling data, the study
said self-described conservatives made up 42 percent of the electorate,
compared with moderates who make up
35 percent and liberals who make up 20 percent, a shift of several
points to the right in the last two years.
In 16 of 21 hotly contested states, Democratic candidates who simply
match Obama’s overall 2008
performance still will not have enough votes to win, according to the
group’s study. Instead the candidates
must outperform Mr. Obama among moderates.
Maybe what Obama needs to do is apologize to the Left, and promise them
that he won't look past them in the future the way he's done the last two years.
I can't speak for the Left, but my guess is they'd come back if you gave them
1/3 of the attention you've given to Kissyface, the Bitch and The Boner.
You can't just call when you need something.
What would that be - a vote-y call?