So, I’m hearing from the usual quarters pissing and moaning about Obama being a big fat disappointment, he couldn’t be bothered to campaign for Barrett, not one appearance, not one phone call, etc. And I kind of remember hearing earlier in this fight that the Wisconsin Dems didn’t want Obama involved, something to the effect that they didn’t want to bring all the Obama baggage into this issue because so many Republicans were disappointed in Walker too?
Just wanted to hear from some folks “on the ground” what’s up re: that. Is Obama a big fat failure for not getting involved or do you guys really want him to stay away?
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I guess I don’t have strong feelings on it. Maybe it’s best he didn’t come here.
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Great video, scout. Reminded me how we got to this day, the power of all those people who won’t back down. No matter the result today, we cannot back down.
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Pres. Obama is a disappointment on so many points . . . this post sums up the main issues pretty well.http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/05/barack-obama-the-great-deceiver.html
Still, Pres. Obama is a charismatic figure and many still believe in him. It would have been courageous for him to stand on Wisconsin soil next to Tom Barrett, and speak out in support of labor and the grass roots folks who are the heart and soul of the Democratic party. I think that it would have given Barrett a good lift. The democratic turnout in 2008 was great, and many independents still swing toward Obama.
But that’s the problem: Obama doesn’t want to lose those swing voters, including the ones who back Scott Walker or who don’t like the recall. So Obama was a no-show.
This is just another confirmation of what you and I know in our hearts: that when the chips are down, you can’t count on Obama to back up his words with actions.
But if Obama won’t come to Wisconsin, why should we go to the polls for him?
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This isn’t about Obama. It’s about Wisconsin throwing out a piss poor governor.
Just like Michigan is about Michigan throwing out Synder. Just like Indiana, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania throwing out their governors.
The whole idea that Obama has to show up at every state needing to toss their piss poor governors they hired is ludicrous.
Obama was hired as President. Dealing with national and world issues. Dealing with an inept lazy vindictive congress are his priorities. Traipsing around to all the states that hired piss poor governors is not what he was hired to do.
To me it’s not and never should be about Obama showing up any where and more about the voters showing up and cleaning out the bad governors THEY hired.
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As an outside, it looks to me like the Walker camp has been desperate to make this election about Obama, because what better way to depress the independent vote than to frame a vote for Barrett as a vote for Obama? Seems like Obama was pretty smart to stay away and just send money and ground forces. Now the Walker people are forced to go with the narrative, “Ohh Obama is staying away, they must think they’re gonna lose har har…”
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The GOP would have bitched, whined, made crap up no matter if Obama showed or didn’t show. It’s all they have done for years now. Then everything would be about republican men whining endlessly about what Obama did or didn’t do and not about Wisconsin residents throwing out a bad governor and bad senators.
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Getting back to the topic– Obama’s non-appearance during the past 17 months of the recall process in Wisconsin:
It is ironic that Pres. Obama, who won the presidency in 2008 on a platform of “healing”– finding common ground, bipartisanship and compromise, couldn’t show up to support Barrett, who is now running on a similar platform in Wisconsin.
And since the recall election will depend on voter turnout, it is unfortunate that Obama did not come to Wisconsin, since he could have helped boost turnout.
I guess Wisconsin just wasn’t worth it to Obama.
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I think that it would have given Barrett a good lift
Maybe. Or maybe it would have made the election about him instead of about Walker, hurting Barrett in the process. This is just another confirmation of what you and I know in our hearts: that when the chips are down, you can’t count on Obama to back up his words with actions.
So true. I remember how he totally caved on defunding Planned Parenthood, the birth control mandate, the Ryan Budget, DADT, etc, etc…
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Steve:
You forgot marriage equality. Yeah that was a kick in the nuts.
🙂
Y’know what, I’m happy to criticize Obama for sending unmanned drones to rain murder on civilians in the Middle East, but I am really sick of this endless “how has Obama failed you today” refrain on shit like whether he held a rally. It just reeks of PUMA.
But hey, that’s just me.
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The problem for Obama is that the outcome of our recall election will be read as a comment on his campaign– whether he came to Wisconsin or not.
IMHO, it was a serious political miscalculation for Obama not to back the grassroots in Wisconsin. He is clearly hoping that if things don’t go well here, he can still count on the “Charlie Brown” progressives to try another kick at his football in November. It’s worked for him before.
But the main fall-back for his election now is that he is the “lesser of two evils” argument. This is not a strong motivator for turnout, which Obama may need– especially if the Republicans in Wisconsin are engergized by a Walker victory.
Southern Beale: I think the point being made is that Obama’s failure to visit Wisconsin during the recall process is emblematic of his overall faithlessness to his base and what he claims to stand for. It’s all part of the same problem for progressives, with symptoms both large and small.
As for “PUMA,” it’s well past the time to get uptight. There will be no meaningful change until the Democratic leadership realizes that the same-old, same-old will cost the party elections or even cause a significant rift.
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One of the knocks against Walker is that out-of-state people (and lots of their money) are trying to tell Wisconsin what to do. If Obama had appeared in Wisconsin the GOP could say “Both sides do it.”
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But Strobes,
I read that Obama did back the grassroots, he sent money and campaign workers from Ohio and PA. He just didn’t personally come to the state. Maybe what I read was wrong.
I dunno, I’m just not seeing it but I don’t live there, so what do I know. But from what I hear from people in WI there seems to be more of the “this is not about Obama this is about our failed governor” sentiment. Anyway, I’m gonna shut up about it now because by continuing to talk about it I am doing what Walker wants, which is making this about Obama.
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Every freaking Democrat in the country should have dropped everything and come here. This was bigger than the state from the get-go. Dems lose here, dems lose.
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You people bitching that Obama didn’t campaign for Barrett are all wet. Is there something about “we don’t want Obama here” you fail to understand?
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So, I’m hearing from the usual quarters pissing and moaning about Obama being a big fat disappointment, he couldn’t be bothered to campaign for Barrett, not one appearance, not one phone call, etc. And I kind of remember hearing earlier in this fight that the Wisconsin Dems didn’t want Obama involved, something to the effect that they didn’t want to bring all the Obama baggage into this issue because so many Republicans were disappointed in Walker too?
Just wanted to hear from some folks “on the ground” what’s up re: that. Is Obama a big fat failure for not getting involved or do you guys really want him to stay away?
I guess I don’t have strong feelings on it. Maybe it’s best he didn’t come here.
Great video, scout. Reminded me how we got to this day, the power of all those people who won’t back down. No matter the result today, we cannot back down.
Pres. Obama is a disappointment on so many points . . . this post sums up the main issues pretty well.http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/05/barack-obama-the-great-deceiver.html
Still, Pres. Obama is a charismatic figure and many still believe in him. It would have been courageous for him to stand on Wisconsin soil next to Tom Barrett, and speak out in support of labor and the grass roots folks who are the heart and soul of the Democratic party. I think that it would have given Barrett a good lift. The democratic turnout in 2008 was great, and many independents still swing toward Obama.
But that’s the problem: Obama doesn’t want to lose those swing voters, including the ones who back Scott Walker or who don’t like the recall. So Obama was a no-show.
This is just another confirmation of what you and I know in our hearts: that when the chips are down, you can’t count on Obama to back up his words with actions.
But if Obama won’t come to Wisconsin, why should we go to the polls for him?
This isn’t about Obama. It’s about Wisconsin throwing out a piss poor governor.
Just like Michigan is about Michigan throwing out Synder. Just like Indiana, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania throwing out their governors.
The whole idea that Obama has to show up at every state needing to toss their piss poor governors they hired is ludicrous.
Obama was hired as President. Dealing with national and world issues. Dealing with an inept lazy vindictive congress are his priorities. Traipsing around to all the states that hired piss poor governors is not what he was hired to do.
To me it’s not and never should be about Obama showing up any where and more about the voters showing up and cleaning out the bad governors THEY hired.
As an outside, it looks to me like the Walker camp has been desperate to make this election about Obama, because what better way to depress the independent vote than to frame a vote for Barrett as a vote for Obama? Seems like Obama was pretty smart to stay away and just send money and ground forces. Now the Walker people are forced to go with the narrative, “Ohh Obama is staying away, they must think they’re gonna lose har har…”
The GOP would have bitched, whined, made crap up no matter if Obama showed or didn’t show. It’s all they have done for years now. Then everything would be about republican men whining endlessly about what Obama did or didn’t do and not about Wisconsin residents throwing out a bad governor and bad senators.
Getting back to the topic– Obama’s non-appearance during the past 17 months of the recall process in Wisconsin:
It is ironic that Pres. Obama, who won the presidency in 2008 on a platform of “healing”– finding common ground, bipartisanship and compromise, couldn’t show up to support Barrett, who is now running on a similar platform in Wisconsin.
And since the recall election will depend on voter turnout, it is unfortunate that Obama did not come to Wisconsin, since he could have helped boost turnout.
I guess Wisconsin just wasn’t worth it to Obama.
I think that it would have given Barrett a good lift
Maybe. Or maybe it would have made the election about him instead of about Walker, hurting Barrett in the process.
This is just another confirmation of what you and I know in our hearts: that when the chips are down, you can’t count on Obama to back up his words with actions.
So true. I remember how he totally caved on defunding Planned Parenthood, the birth control mandate, the Ryan Budget, DADT, etc, etc…
Steve:
You forgot marriage equality. Yeah that was a kick in the nuts.
🙂
Y’know what, I’m happy to criticize Obama for sending unmanned drones to rain murder on civilians in the Middle East, but I am really sick of this endless “how has Obama failed you today” refrain on shit like whether he held a rally. It just reeks of PUMA.
But hey, that’s just me.
The problem for Obama is that the outcome of our recall election will be read as a comment on his campaign– whether he came to Wisconsin or not.
IMHO, it was a serious political miscalculation for Obama not to back the grassroots in Wisconsin. He is clearly hoping that if things don’t go well here, he can still count on the “Charlie Brown” progressives to try another kick at his football in November. It’s worked for him before.
But the main fall-back for his election now is that he is the “lesser of two evils” argument. This is not a strong motivator for turnout, which Obama may need– especially if the Republicans in Wisconsin are engergized by a Walker victory.
Southern Beale: I think the point being made is that Obama’s failure to visit Wisconsin during the recall process is emblematic of his overall faithlessness to his base and what he claims to stand for. It’s all part of the same problem for progressives, with symptoms both large and small.
As for “PUMA,” it’s well past the time to get uptight. There will be no meaningful change until the Democratic leadership realizes that the same-old, same-old will cost the party elections or even cause a significant rift.
One of the knocks against Walker is that out-of-state people (and lots of their money) are trying to tell Wisconsin what to do. If Obama had appeared in Wisconsin the GOP could say “Both sides do it.”
But Strobes,
I read that Obama did back the grassroots, he sent money and campaign workers from Ohio and PA. He just didn’t personally come to the state. Maybe what I read was wrong.
I dunno, I’m just not seeing it but I don’t live there, so what do I know. But from what I hear from people in WI there seems to be more of the “this is not about Obama this is about our failed governor” sentiment. Anyway, I’m gonna shut up about it now because by continuing to talk about it I am doing what Walker wants, which is making this about Obama.
Every freaking Democrat in the country should have dropped everything and come here. This was bigger than the state from the get-go. Dems lose here, dems lose.
You people bitching that Obama didn’t campaign for Barrett are all wet. Is there something about “we don’t want Obama here” you fail to understand?