CBS' Bob Schieffer asks David Axelrod re/Obama': Is This A One Term Presidency?'

This term is over

For all intents and purposes, there is nothing Obama can do now to change the landscape for his reelection campaign.

Sadly, by capitulating so early and so often at the beginning he almost guaranteed this would happen. It should have been obvious to a Constitutional professor (it would have been obvious to a principled Democrat) that he couldn't waste time on superficial attempts at bipartisanship when drastic change in many policies was needed immediately. And though he ran on shaking things up, he didn't, even though he was clearly given the go-ahead to take action when the American people elected him.

I think he is a one-termer. We'll all be even worse off for the fact there will be no second term, and that there was such a pitiful first term that once had so much potential.

Like I said before, FDR he ain't.

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by: Zappatero @ Tue Aug 09, 2011 at 13:49:12 PM UTC

not so sure about that.

elections are not held in a vacuum, and if it's perry or bachmann v obama...do you really think reelection is a hopeless cause?

"sometimes our right hand doesn't know what our far right hand is doing." --ronald reagan

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by: fake consultant @ Tue Aug 09, 2011 at 14:51:20 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Could still happen

I think the 2012 election will be far, far closer than anyone thinks it will be right now.  Whether Obama wins or loses, it won't be by much.

The primary lesson from 2010 that I don't think enough politicians have learned is the people don't care about flowery speeches and grandiose promises - they care about politicians getting things done once in office.  Far too little got done in 2009 and 2010.  2011 is turning out to be even worse and we know next to nothing will get done in 2012.  I expect a great deal of volatility in the Presidency race as well as Congressional races, regardless of gerrymandering.

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by: WeatherDem @ Tue Aug 09, 2011 at 16:22:12 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The larger problem might be that he's okay with that

I get the feeling that regardless of whether Obama wins reelection, he will be comforted by the fact that he got done what he wanted done during his time in office.

What he got done is nowhere close to what most Americans thought would get done, but that's mostly our fault for not forcing him to be more specific about what he wanted to do if elected.

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by: WeatherDem @ Tue Aug 09, 2011 at 16:19:01 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Ugh "comforted by the fact

that he got done what he wanted done..."

Ouch :'(  

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by: Fong @ Tue Aug 09, 2011 at 17:28:30 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

yeppers

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by: Zappatero @ Tue Aug 09, 2011 at 22:52:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Great post! Thanx for the info

 Do or do not, there is no try.  

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by: Yoda69 @ Wed Aug 10, 2011 at 02:15:52 AM UTC

Rank and file Dems are tired of being Ignored by elected Dems

and voting for the lesser of two evils is, in the case of Obama, like throwing your Democratic vote away, like voting for a Republican.

The base is a lot angrier than our Dem elites realize.  

If the 2012 race is very close, and I believe it will be, Obama's efforts to get Republicans and Independent votes will not offset the number of disgusted Dems who will just stay home and or not mail in their ballot.  

If Democrats work to elect a President and he turns out to essentially be a moderate Republican, what pray tell is the point of donating to and working for elected Democrats.  

If we elect Dems and we get Republican HealthCare Bills and Republican lite rule..... what is the point?

We must have an Obama challenger...or we will lose the House, Senate and the White House.

Obama Stole Dems 2010 Senate Primary Nomination for "appointed" Sen. Michael Bennet but 57,497 "UnderVotes" by angry Romanoff progressives nearly Stopped them

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by: johnhkennedy @ Wed Aug 10, 2011 at 13:41:11 PM UTC