Obama's drop in his poll numbers is his BASE

[bigdarryl]

Looks like Big Ed was right the other day when he said the drop in the polls is because Obama is loosing his base because of his handling of the health care issue. So with the media trying to pretend the blue bogs have the power in the party it's the liberals in the party that still rule.http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/president-obama/major...

[lurky]

1. Thank you! It's about time someone pointed this out. n/t

[Buzz Clik]

2. Oh, noes! That's got t be a huge disappoint to you, his biggest fan.

How are you going to celebrate?

[bigdarryl]

4. WHAT!!!!!!!!!!

[theophilus]

3. If true, some Dems are stoopid. Just like RW freeptards, imo. n/t

[liberal N proud]

11. +1

[Phx_Dem]

12. +2

If we weaken him enough, maybe we won't get any health care reform.

[Jennicut]

13. That is always the danger. Better the base then independents though.

You can win the base back if you want to.
I think Obama got a clear message from us that we want public option. Its up to him now though I do see that there are conservadems not helping us.

[Phx_Dem]

17. That's true.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

18. If you read the link it's both.

and it says the independents were the "greater" factor. Erosion of the base was 11%

[Becky72]

5. The loss of independents is a greater factor

it is true that there has been a significant drop among liberals. It's an important factor, but perhapsnot the major one. From your link:

WaPo polling analyst Agiesta cautioned that independents were likely a greater factor, but she said Obama’s problems among Dems and liberals were clearly playing a key role: “This is the first sign that something is going wrong with his base.”

[polichick]

16. Seems the prez is willing to piss away support from Dems and indies...

...for the sake of sucking up to enemies who'd like to see him dead. Great move.

[lunatica]

6. Actually disapproval with Democrats has much more to do with action

than with the President. Reasonable Democrats disapprove of how he's going about doing something while still supporting him in things we feel he's doing right. Most of us, I hope, are interested in what's best for the country rather than in the cult of personality. If Obama is losing his approval rating that's a good indication that the Americans who voted for him want him to do something differently. And hopefully it has nothing to do with whether they adore him or hate him regardless of what he does.

[polichick]

7. Hopefully, it's a wake up call. If not, look for a progressive challenger in 2012. nt

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

8. It will be like Ted Kennedy challenging Carter all over again

Public ritual suicide of the Democratic Party as they throw away the majorities we created this time around.

All of which could be avoided if they all snapped out of it and acted like Democrats rather than DINOS and delivered meaningful healthcare reform.

[polichick]

10. Yep - let's hope this is a wake up call for the Prez and Blue Dogs. nt

[PassingFair]

24. Bingo!

DINOS strike again.

[karynnj]

34. I seriously doubt there will be one

Carter was about as far to the right as a Democrat gets, so there Kennedy saw there was room for a challenge from the left - but it failed. Obama is considerably to the left and most prominent Democrats to his left are his allies. I simply can not think of any serious Democrat to his left who would (or could successfully) challenge him. I seriously doubt Kucinich could get more than the single digit support he got in the past.

Hillary Clinton is to his right and is part of his administration.

There is no 2012 "Kennedy".

[stray cat]

9. Republicans know how to rally as a base - dems fracture

The republican base really is smarter, rationale, and more productive when it comes to creating change they want.

[lunatica]

14. Democrats rally for policies and not for politicians

Republicans rally for personalities regardless of how bad they are for the country. Thanks but I think Democrats are the ones who have it right. It doesn't take smarts to follow the leader blindly. It actually takes undiscerning stupidity.

[dolphindance]

33. ...and in return never get those policies they want. Just new Republican politians.

How about we work with our guy this time instead of knocking him down?

[quakerboy]

37. All we want is a little proof that they are in fact

"our" guys. Not just corporate guys.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

15. Because they don't give a f!@# about being "bi-partisan" and compromising

And when Dems attempt to negotiate( among/against themselves, or with the Republicans) they always seem to end up as the guys dressed in barrels at the poker table.

Dems also right now are rallying around the MINORITY of the base - the Blue Dogs/DINOS and rejecting the mainstream and liberal Dems instead of the other way around.

[Indenturedebtor]

31. +1 Phoebe n/t

[bvar22]

25. Rallying the Base is going to be difficult.....

...if Obama keeps the Wars going, keeps increasing Military Spending, looks the other way about Bush Crimes & Patriot Act, continues with trickle down Bailouts, expands "Free" Trade, and signs a Health Care Package that channels taxpayer money to the Health Insurance Industry.

[nc4bo]

26. Oh look ponies!

That's what some DUer's would say.

What you listed are also my very hot buttons.

BTW, beautiful garden photos, loved the okra blossum. There's a recipe for all that okra I thought you may enjoy.

[ProSense]

19. Something to consider when looking at the polls

here

[Cha]

23. Some would just rather look at a

mediawhoredom's poll to verify their fail push.

[leftofthedial]

20. "Waterloo" might have been an apt metaphor, except that Napoleon was *over-reaching*.

Obama has grotesquely *under-reached*. He took real reform completely off the agenda before debate ever even began, and has been playing not-so-secret ball with the insurance companies, banks and Pharma. The whole fiasco has been an exercise of Obama steadily undercutting the expectations of his base, seeking the least change that they'll accept and that he can still pretend is "reform." Unfortunately for him, we know he is working with the enemy much more passionately than he is working with us, and we see through his lame Beltway politicking on this issue. He has let us down on the centerpiece issue of his presidency, and he's only been in office for seven months. Boo I say. Boo.

I never supported his right-center corporatism, but now I can't trust him either. Why would I vote for someone I disagree with and do not trust?

[patrice]

21. Anyone could have seen this coming: there ARE Crossovers out there who are cashing in their chips at

this point + Newbies who think they are going to game the system too.

[Kaleva]

22. What is Obama's base?

Liberals claim to be his base but is that really true? some here have said that it was the liberals who did the work (in time, effort and money donated) that allowed Obama to defeat first Hillary and then McCain but is that claim based on fact and verifiable data?

Looking at CNN exit poll data, about twice as many moderates voted for Obama as did self identified liberals. If Obama and McCain had split the moderate vote 50/50, then we'd be bitching about how President McCain was screwing up this country now.

[bvar22]

27. Obama also got the "Youth" vote.

Many of the uninsured are The Young and Healthy.

Wait until they open their Health Care Reform Package and find a BIG Bill from the For Profit Health Insurance Industry (Mandated Coverage + an inaccessible "Public" Option).

Talk about losing an entire demographic.

[blue_onyx]

35. Yes

The mandate will be a huge mistake. One of the reasons I liked Obama better than Hillary was that he was against the mandate. I'll be very angry if Obama signs a bill that has the mandate included.

[quakerboy]

38. Yup. Thats where this blindness is leading

The loss of a generation of voters. We stepped up and participated. Now what?

[Oregone]

28. Not hard workin whites

If I recall, that was Hillary's base, as she implied

[patrice]

29. BTW, the Crossovers are cashing in their chips in order to put together Pro-Coal organizations that

will grow out of the ashes of their anti-Health Care/Insurance reform efforts and will, therefore, use the same networking to fight for Dirty Coal.

[saltpoint]

30. Obama's victory last November was from support comprised of

nearly every demographic. Not all, but most.

For their to be any statistical subtraction it would have to be from that amalgam, wouldn't it?

As to the dispute over health care, I can't imagine runnng into anybody who thought it would be easy. The health insurance companies and their attendant entities right now enjoy considerable, let us say unholy, control over virtually unlimited profits. I have no idea who would advance a scenario in which those insurance entities surrendered that huge advantage without a fight.

Very likely a nasty fight, which is essentially what we're seeing now.

Rooting for the good guys doing the right thing is useful generally and in national health care especially, and immediately.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Liberal_Stalwart71]

36. I don't agree with this. The Blue Dogs and the DLCers have always had the power in this party.

When 4 Democratic Senators who represent very small constituencies can make the decisions for the rest of us, then who has the power? The Blue Dogs do! I notice that the media keeps referring to the Blue Dogs as the "moderates" in the party. Why do they do this? The Blue Dogs are NOT moderate; they are CONSERVATIVE! And they do not reflect the will of the majority in the Democratic Party or in the general American public. These guys are very powerful; it is THEY who control the agenda. Until they are voted out of office, they will continue to dominate the most powerful of Senate committees and obstruct to appease their small constituencies and their corporate friends.