I said from the start Democrats were not defending Obama enough.

[davishenderson265]

This has been the case since the start of his presidency. Many supporters thought all they had to do was elect him and everything would be OK. This was also the case when Clinton won in 1992. Over the next few years the Democrats allowed the looney right to define their president. The only time this didn't work was in 2012 when Obama could define himself.

We should have been out there standing up to the tea party. Instead we pretty much let them get away with all of their lies. Some of this has to fall at the feet of Obama who never did understand how to make people aware of his accomplishments. I think his advisers, especially the Chicago one's, like Valerie Jarrett, are tone deaf.

No sane person can argue that the country isn't better off today than it was in January of 2009. Had a Republican president had the same record on the economy, we would have never heard the end of it. Hell, had Romney gotten elected he would have been out there taking credit for what Obama has done.

When Obama was first in office and trying to pass the stimulus, I said that he is going to lose support fast of the people who elected him didn't get out and stand up for him. Right wingers for all of their faults, NEVER give up. They are like cockroaches. They just keep on coming.

The cowardly way the Democrats ran away from Obama this election was pitiful. Republican's stand by their president's even when they suck like Bush.

[Chemisse]

1. And there is so much they could have said!

What about the plummeting gas prices? They actually let Republicans get away with suggesting that could be bad for the economy. And SILENCE from the White House and the Dems. Unbelievable.

[Thinkingabout]

2. Yes instead of running away from him they should have pointed out his intervention

In the auto industry, even though ACA did roll out smoothly it has helped lots of people, there may need to be some changes and improvements but it is good. Health care is already dropping in cost. I know there is lots of chatter because bankers have not been held accountable for their misdeeds but at the time this crap was happening there was not the regulations of past years and also rules was in place when Obama was sworn in office he was helpless to control. There is still chatter because Bush and Cheney are not in jail but I wish those saying it us Obama's fault would research the procedure before assigning blame.

[Fred Sanders]

3. Not supporting Obama from within his own party is unforgivable, unexplainable. There maybe one

explanation, dare it be mentioned?

Legitimate differences on general policy aside, anyone still whining about Obama and his failure to fully utilize his magic Kenyan juju sticks, using the same old, same old arguments of the fucking world is not ponies and unicorns enough yet under the all knowing Obama needs to do some serious self-reflection.

And start being part of the solution to the disrespect and obstruction.

[freshwest]

4. I know people who thought of Obama in 2008 as if he was a consumer product bought to fix everything.

As soon as he took the oath of office, they left politics en masse. They left political websites they'd been on since 2000, began talking about their grandkids and their retirement homes, just walked away. See, they were taken care of, or so they thought.

Even after Obama told them in 2007 that they would be the ones to change things, that he was just a small part. He begged people to stay engaged in 2008. They didn't. As you say, they let the Tea Party take up all the air in the room. They said since Obama was POTUS, the New Deal was safe, it's his job. No, it was ours.

Then in 2012 he said the exact same thing, to man the phone lines and call Congress to get change after the disastrous 2010 elections and the GOP started to extort with every single CR. Some did, most didn't, but more often, those who did man the phone lines and signed petitions were against Obama because of what the GOP wanted.

And then came the events since 2013 when racism showed its ugly ass for the whole world to see, and for the most part only the victims were left to stand up for themselves. The rest just let them blow in the wind. I've only recently seen the anti-Obama Democrats in real life shellacking him for things the GOP is doing which is a losing strategy, I've said that all along. It's like - using the consumer analogy, hey, our top man, the one who leads the product line of ideas, well he stinks, we despise him.

All day long, 365 days a year, and then at the time of election, say 'Vote for our product line, it's gonna save your life.' Why would anyone vote for one of the lesser lights after seeing how bad the top tier appears to be those in the party?

[Fred Sanders]

6. "He begged people to stay engaged, in 2008. They didn't." Yes. And now they resent this being noted.

[freshwest]

7. We'll see what the future holds:

I think the future also will not belong to those who are cynical or those who stand on the sidelines.

~ Paul Wellstone

[craigmatic]

5. Gas is cheap and the economy is improving should've been the slogan.