Why should we be worrying about 2012 right now (or who the Republicans MIGHT run)?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

Frankly, as far as I'm concerned, Obama would have to make some pretty serious Carter/GWB-style blunders and/or somehow cause things in this country to become SIGNIFICANTLY worse off than they are now (if that is even possible) during the next 4 years to even put us in the position where any of us should HAVE to worry about a GOP "comeback" under a Palin, Jindal, et. al banner.

My prediction is that if Obama and his administration put into place a few things that even modestly improve people's lives and/or the state of our country, I think that it will be near impossible (if not impossible, impossible) for the GOP to stage a successful comeback in 2012 NO MATTER WHO they might decide to run -the current (and probable future) state of the GOP notwithstanding. Sarah Palin may still, inexplicably, be a "media darling", but WTF would she (or any other GOPer) have to run on if Obama and his administration are successful (which, for the record, I believe that they WILL be)?

My only (future) concern is that after the Democrats clean up the Republican's current clusterfuck the public will suddenly be dazzled by another Republican and feel charitable towards the GOP and put them in charge only to have them mess everything up again (like with GWB). However, I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we actually get there.

At any rate, now is not necessarily the time to start worrying too much about 2012 (or beyond) IMHO. Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and get to work helping Obama and his administration with fixing/taking back our country for the bottom 99% whose interests have been woefully neglected during the past 8 years.

[Trajan]

1. It depends on what you mean by 'worry' ...

The Democrats need to mind may things about the future ... One of those things is the 2012 election cycle ... One of many things ....

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. It's important to be mindful of the future (and I'm sure political parties have to look ahead)

But it should NOT be at the expense of the present.

There just seem to be a lot of threads popping up here lately worrying about 2012 and who the GOP might run.

If Obama and his administration do a good job then 2012 will take care of itself IMHO.

[valerief]

3. It makes you wonder why these people are posting them. They sound like teevee and

we know which party teevee supports.

[Bitter_Clinger]

4. Right Now the Makings of a Disaster are there...

not just for 2012, but as early as 2010. The Republicans do not have the numbers to pass anything or stop anything. Every piece of legislation can pass without a single Republican vote. Everything single thing that gets passed by this Congress that fails can be laid at the feet of the Democrats. There is no guarantee that policies and laws and programs put into place by Congress will be ball of fire successes. Some will probably be, most, like most of the time, won't be and may even be very unpopular. Every thing that goes wrong will be pointed to by the Republicans and they will be able to say that they had nothing at all to do with it. They have an opportunity to wash their hands of everything.

I see our problems as too deep for a quick turnaround and the Republicans are not going to be shy about shifting the blame.

[Faygo Kid]

6. Debbie Downer.

Geez, can we get the guy inaugurated before we start predicting electoral disaster?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

9. It's just wierd to see so many people predicting all kinds of disaster for the Obama Presidency

before he has even been sworn in no less................

:wtf:

[Bitter_Clinger]

10. I am not predicting a disaster...

but I am not predicting unicorns and rainbows either. What I was trying to point out was that for everything that does go wrong, I really can't believe someone can possibly believe that every single thing will work out, the Republicans will be able to wash their hands of it but not voting for it.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

11. Well maybe

But they're still going to have to explain to everybody how they will do things differently. Is there something in particularly you think Obama and/or the Democrats are going to seriously FUBAR to the point that the Republicans are going to be able to exploit their way back into power with?

Also, the Republicans are probably not going to be quite as passive as you suggest. With Lott, McConnell, and some other GOP "dead enders" left in the Senate I fully expect them to make every effort to kill a lot of legislation and/or appointments (particularly judicial/SCOTUS appointments). Of course, they're going to have to walk a fine line and avoid being seen as TOO obstructionist either but I wouldn't look to them to have much interest in helping Obama succeed (nor will the corporate whore media). Of course, Obama isn't going to take their partisan antics lying down either and we need to help support him as well.

In order to avoid a solid block of Republican opposition and obstruction via filibuster, Obama is likely going to have to build bipartisan coalitions in the House and particularly in the Senate to get anything substantive accomplished because the Senate is not likely to be filibuster-proof and he is almost certainly going to lose some "blue dog" Democrats on some votes (our party rarely votes in lockstep anyway). I believe that he will ultimately be successful in bringing enough people from both sides together on most of the major issues to enact some substantive changes, however, unfortunately, it may end up being more modest and incremental than some of us might want (a step in the right direction is still a step in the right direction IMHO).

[Proud Liberal Dem]

8. Point taken

However, given the election results, people obviously did NOT buy into the scare tactics about Democratic "one-party rule" and attempted "blame shifting" that the Repukes (and the corporate whore media) tried to foist on us during the campaign. True, everything that Obama and Congress may accomplish may not be spectacularly successful (nor popular) but at least we will be seen as trying to "do something" and, hopefully, getting some substantive things accomplished. I honestly don't see how people could think that things could get worse than they have been under 6 years of GWB/GOP one-party rule and even during the past 2 years with a Democratic Congress people apparently took note of the fact that the GOP was actively obstructing passage of a lot of popular legislation, so I'm not convinced that people are going to be so easily duped into supporting the GOP any time real soon. 2008 may well be looked at as a referendum on (complete) GOP domination of the federal government and if so, it was SOUNDLY rejected. For the Republicans to stage a successful comeback they will need to come up with a VERY compelling reason for people to vote for them and I just can't see it at the moment (and apparently nobody else can either).

[rocktivity]

5. I began campagining for 2008

the Monday after the Dems did so well in 2006.

:patriot:
rocknation

[polichick]

7. Right now it's just interesting to see who's swimming away from the sinking ship.