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People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

Obama must listen to Bill Clinton to get re-elected

Posted on Sunday, July 18, 2010 at 02:58 AM
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The news that Barack Obama is behind Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee in a new national opinion poll and even with Sarah Palin will surely give the White House much food for thought.

How does President Huckabee sound to you? Or President Palin? If the election were held today they seem at least as likely as Obama to win.

It signals a major reversal for the Democratic Party in the midterm election for one reason only -- they are unable to get their message out starting at the top.

In the era of the one-word sound bites, Republicans are outmaneuvering Obama and his fellow Democrats in the all-important message stakes.

The fact is that a Republican president caused the financial collapse, led us to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and relaxed regulations that allowed the Gulf Oil spill.

Clearly the party has sided with the Wall Street fat cats in the regulation battle, and opposed health care for all. That should make them cannon fodder in any election framed around Wall Street versus Main Street issues.

Despite all this, the party is leading Democrats in the race for the White House and will make major gains in November.

What gives? Sure the electorate is disgruntled and rightly so, but they seem to have trained their sights on the president. His poll numbers among independents are in the tank and therein lies his real problem.

The Republicans communicate their message better. They may be blocking every piece of legislation that Obama is attempting to put through, they may be negative more than positive, but the public perceives them as doing a better job.

Here's my advice to Obama: find your voice. You remind me of the 'Barney' kids series on PBS where each character has an indoor and outdoor voice.

During the election campaign you were using your outdoor voice, inspiring millions. Now you talk as if you are indoors all the time, your voice can barely be heard above the national noise.

Fire Rahm Emanuel: He's the hard-nosed insider who has shut you up and played a cynical game of insider politics that has gotten you nowhere in the national popularity debate.

There is no sense of vision, no sense of leadership just a daily diet of he said/she said on every issue.

The presidency is not about insider politics, its about a bully pulpit,a coherent message and a vision. Articulate that.

Final point and most important: Listen to Bill Clinton. He was the first two-term American Democratic president since Roosevelt for a reason.

He had a direction, a vision, and a purpose to his presidency after a rough start just like you.

It is clear now that a term in executive government, say Governor of Illinois, would really have helped you hone those governing as against campaigning skills.

Go to the man who has had experience in both.

There is a reason Democratic candidates are clamoring for Clinton to campaign this fall rather than you -- he connects on that visceral level.

You need to do that too, and there is no better teacher.

Following Clinton's political example can be the key to a second term.


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78 comments

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IrishAndProud | Jul 26, 2010, 05:57 PM EDT
Incidentally, maireadinmelb, the UK is moving toward DECENTRALIZING their socialized health care system --because it DOESN'T...WORK. Libs just LOOOOVE to look to Europe as an example of how WE should do stuff; fine, let's look at Europe!

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IrishAndProud | Jul 26, 2010, 05:00 PM EDT
And Dennis, you're still in denial. Gallup has the Dems 'up' in a fluctuation, but the GOP has an enormous enthusiasm edge, as Gallup calls it (which includes independents and others far beyond the GOP base, itself), giving the GOP a huge advantage going into the fall election. That has not changed, and if anything has only grown. Whoever has the enthusiasm has the momentum -- and every national poll (including the one you cited) still shows the Democrats in huge trouble this year. FYI I've already visited Gallup's website -- and that's you can find everything I've just mentioned. I must ask if YOU actually viewed it, Dennis. You're still in denial.

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IrishAndProud | Jul 26, 2010, 04:52 PM EDT
maireadinmelb, the American government is NOT 'providing' health care for us. It's TAKING OVER health care, FROM us. And if you bothered to actually read ANY U.S. public opinion poll during the debate and even any such poll since it was rammed through the U.S. Congress against our will, you'd see the American public STILL do...not...want this farce, and they also no longer back Obama on even a single, major issue. He's lost us. If you want him down there (he's from all over the map already, after all), then you can have him.

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Monsoonman | Jul 24, 2010, 10:33 AM EDT
I don't think obama needs any lessons on the finer points of prevarication from bill clinton. He has already demonstrated quite clearly that there are many variations to the meaning of is, is, er...are.

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maireadinmelb | Jul 24, 2010, 02:45 AM EDT
Americans are jobless because of wall street mismanagement of companies, companies who paid the top corporates massive bonuses to the detriment of the world. Obama came in and tried to instigate change but as long as he has to pick up the pieces of corporate america's mismanagement and fund two unnecessary wars, where is he supposed to get money from. AND tell me why is it ok for the American government to prop up companies, while the directors pocket millions, but it is a bad thing to provide basic health care for your people???

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Advocate | Jul 23, 2010, 07:36 PM EDT
IF this creature; this "Stranger" written of in Deut. 17:15 and 28:43, cared even a tiny-bit about what's left of OUR America, he'd show his love via suicide - Today!!!

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DennisQ | Jul 23, 2010, 07:29 PM EDT
IAP . . . It appears that the stories of a Republican resurgence in November remain unsubstantiated. You might want to visit Gallup's own website, especially Dr. Frank Newport's videos. Editor-in-Chief Newport comments on the significance of Obama's job approval ratings - which are actually quite normal - and on the "generic ballot" which has turned in the Democrats' favor. Compared to other recent presidents, says Newport, there's nothing particularly noteworthy about Obama's job approval ratings. He's doing about the same as other presidents. And the generic ballot is more volatile this year than in the past. Who'd a thunk it?

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IrishAndProud | Jul 23, 2010, 05:55 AM EDT
And finally, Dennis...you're right on one thing, though I doubt in a way you'd like: 2010 is indeed a unique year, unlike any other...for how much trouble the Democrats are in.

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IrishAndProud | Jul 23, 2010, 05:46 AM EDT
And here's another one for you, Dennis...from GALLUP, mind you: "Gallup's 2010 Confidence in Institutions poll finds Congress ranking dead last out of the 16 institutions rated this year. Eleven percent of Americans say they have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in Congress, down from 17% in 2009 and a percentage point lower than the previous low for Congress, recorded in 2008." [END QUOTE] So, I must ask, Dennis...is GALLUP now just like all those other pollsters out there, too, and just not 'factoring in the uniqueness?' Are those 89% of people who DON'T support the Democrat Congress 'all wet'? And...exactly what poll would you even consider to have 'factored in the uniqueness,' other than one that shows majority support for Obama and/or his party? Are they only legit when they show support for Obama/the Dems?

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IrishAndProud | Jul 23, 2010, 05:38 AM EDT
Dennis, Dennis, Dennis...you're still A) simply denying polls simply because they don't show what you like, and B) you're falling back on the blame-Bush tactic, which is obviously not working with people, anymore. Come on, now. If you're going to debate the results of every single national poll out there nowadays (all of which show deep trouble for Obama) then at least DO so. But don't dispute them and then immediately start Bush-bashing, again. You are flatly in denial of the political trouble Obama and his party are in, because you side with him and want him to be liked and supported. How can a pollster 'factor out' anything when all they're doing is asking questions and people all across the board are simply answering as they are? Your approach to this matter is like Clinton's lawyer trying to say "well, it depends on what your definition of 'is' is." You're in denial, Dennis -- and if those polls showed majority SUPPORT for Obama, you'd be trumpeting them in an instant. But when they don't (and none do), then it's 'oh...well...they don't really mean anything...they're not factoring in the uniqueness...' You're speaking gobbleygook, Dennis.

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DennisQ | Jul 23, 2010, 05:23 AM EDT
IAP, you're being very patient in repeating yourself, but you're not responding to the objection. So I'll repeat the objection. It doesn't make a difference what the polls say in the middle of this very atypical year. If this were a year like the others that are used as the basis for comparison, then the various pollsters would be on firmer ground to say that the Democrats ought to be worried. It's true that voters aren't pleased with Obama's results, but he inherited a mess from his very improvident predecessor. Bush simply didn't know which end was up, and it's taking a while to un-do the damage. Bush ran this country into a ditch - it's difficult to pick out a policy of his that actually succeeded. His wars failed; his tax cuts failed; he promised to restore America's image in the world, and he didn't do that. I don't think the Republicans are going to get away with refusing to help govern. They sat on their hands and did nothing. I don't think these figures you quote mean what you think they mean. Statisticians are mostly glorified bookies anyhow, but you quote survey results as though they fore-ordained the future. Regardless of what the Quinnipiac poll says, they are not factoring in the uniqueness of this year. It seems like they're going out of their way to factor it out. Even a bookie might want to avoid going out on a limb like that. Think of the ways 2010 is not like years that preceded it. The voters will factor that in, even if the bookies don't.

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IrishAndProud | Jul 21, 2010, 03:43 PM EDT
Dennis, you're gradually inching toward reality bit by bit (you've now moved from saying the Dems will only lose 'some' seats to saying that 'maybe' the Repubs will indeed have a 'great year', but even then you're still at it, trying to minimize and/or deny the obvious by saying it's only 'bookies' saying so, and maybe not the actual VOTERS. Dennis, what do you think the 'bookies' base their odds on, but what the VOTERS are saying about Obama? It's the VOTERS who are giving Obama such low marks in every single poll out there, and who have been for over a YEAR now, Dennis! Here's even more, for you...another poll, as reported by today's Wall Street Journal: [BEGIN QUOTE] "Quinnipiac University today released a national poll of 2,181 registered voters, almost twice the size of most national polls. (It has a margin of error of 2.1 percentage points.) It showed President Obama’s net job approval rating at its lowest point ever – 44% approve, 48% disapprove. In July 2009, Quinnipiac’s national poll had the president with 57% approve, 33% disapprove. The decline in Mr. Obama’s support over the past year has been across the-board, with the largest decreases being among whites, older voters, political independents and men...If it was just among Republicans and their ideological allies that the president was losing support that would not represent a serious political threat. What is most problematic for the president is the drop among whites, men and political independents. Those demographic groups gave him greater support in 2008 than they had most Democratic presidential candidates over the past few decades. Simply put, when Democrats carry or are competitive among whites, independents and men, they win the White House. When they don’t, they don’t." [END QUOTE]

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Monsoonman | Jul 21, 2010, 09:50 AM EDT
My money is on the bookies...

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DennisQ | Jul 21, 2010, 07:05 AM EDT
In high summer - anois ar hocht an Tsamraidh - stories get published that wouldn't get published at any other time. So the bookies are saying it's going to be a great November for the Republicans. And maybe they are right! But the bookies and the voters aren't one and the same. If you're going to celebrate the return of Grainne Mhaol, wait till you count a few more of the mile gaiscioch that she's got coming along with her.

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IrishAndProud | Jul 20, 2010, 06:06 PM EDT
Shall I re-post the Time magazine article for you, Dennis? Here it is again, from the article titled 'Dems Start To Panic as Midterm Reality Sets In.' [BEGIN QUOTE]: "Under pressure, the Democrats are cracking. On both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, there is a realization that Nancy Pelosi's hold on the speakership is in true jeopardy; that losing control of the Senate is not out of the question; and that time, once the Democrats' best friend, is now their mortal enemy. Since January, when Scott Brown won Ted Kennedy's Massachusetts Senate seat, the President's party has tried to downplay in public what its pollsters have been saying in private: that Obama's alienation of independents and white voters, along with the enthusiasm gap between the right and the left, means that Republicans are on a trajectory to pick up massive numbers of House and Senate seats, perhaps even to regain control of Congress." [END QUOTE] That's just a wee bit more than the Dems only losing 'some' seats, as you put it in your try-to-minimize-it-way -- wouldn't you agree, Dennis?

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