Obama sees handwriting on the wall

[flickster]

Family would be just fine with one term (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110614/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_family_1)

Fluff, or sending early smoke signals?

[Tom Scud]

Is this more of the stupid "Obama will be Forced Out to make room for Hillary" conspiracy theory? Yes, it's fluff. Obviously. Hell, I just got an email from the Obama campaign (along with probably 50,000 of his other closest supporters[1]) announcing that they're hiring a bunch of staff.

[1] which is to say, people who've at one point in the past clicked through to his campaign web site.

[wevets]

I'm not sure there is handwriting on the wall.

When you're, for example, tied with Romney in a poll (http://www.thestatecolumn.com/articles/poll-mitt-romney-is-clear-front-runner-tied-with-obama/), as bad as that may be for Democrats (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/44/post/west-wing-briefing-a-closer-look-at-obamas-poll-numbers/2011/06/06/AGBFosKH_blog.html), that means the outcome is uncertain, not that Obama's sure to lose - which is what the phrasing "handwriting on the wall" implies.

[Marley23]

Fluff, particularly considering he said they would have been fine if he hadn't run for another term.

[Jophiel]

As opposed to "Michelle and my daughters will be greatly disappointed in me and think less of me as a father and husband if I don't run again and win..."?

It's a fluff quote. Who would expect him to say different?

[Jas09]

Michelle has made it clear that she only loves me for the power, and will divorce me if I don't run for a second term.

My daughters love to say "my Dad could pardon your Dad", and will be mocked mercilessly if I lose that privilege.

[Exapno Mapcase]

if she no longer thought that what they were doing was worthwhile for the country
You think a president is going to decide that what he's doing isn't worthwhile for the country? :confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused::confused:

Man, I said that this was the silly season, but... I can't believe anyone is so desperate that they'd start interpreting homilies to one's family as political news. What new bottom can we sink to?

[Profound Gibberish]

What new bottom can we sink to?

This is politics: As low as you can go.

[Vinyl Turnip]

Barack be nimble, Barack be quick
Barack go under limbo stick!

[Shodan]

Maybe he is trying to stir up the base. A little uncertainty, and perhaps that will trigger a bit of panic in the Dems "OMG what are we gonna do without our incumbent!!!!'

Never hurts to reduce the danger from a primary challenge either from the left or the right. Not that there is much danger - as previously mentioned, as long as Obama avoids major scandals, he is safe as houses for the nomination and the outcome of the general election will depend on the economy.

Regards,
Shodan

[Exapno Mapcase]

In the interview with Robin Roberts, Obama said that the best thing about being president is that the Secret Service will guarantee that his daughters will never get into a car driven by a boy who's had a beer and he wants another four years of that.

Is that a signal to the base too? :rolleyes:

[Folacin]

as long as Obama avoids major scandals, he is safe as houses for the nomination

:dubious: Before after the great recession? Might be time to retire that idiom, or perhaps its meaning will do a 180 degree shift.

[Jophiel]

The nomination? He's safe as safe can be. There won't be a credible Democratic run against him for the 2012 election.

[Manda JO]

The nomination? He's safe as safe can be. There won't be a credible Democratic run against him for the 2012 election.

I think he means that houses are not that safe anymore (i.e., falling house prices, rising foreclosures). It's the idiom, not the sentiment.

[t-bonham@scc.net]

In the interview with Robin Roberts, Obama said that the best thing about being president is that the Secret Service will guarantee that his daughters will never get into a car driven by a boy who's had a beer and he wants another four years of that.They didn't stop the Bush daughters! In fact, the Secret Service interfered with the bar people who were trying to stop the daughters!

[Chronos]

I've a hunch that Obama's instructions to the Secret Service regarding his daughters might be a bit different from Bush's.

[Recovering Republican]

Obama's biggest problem is that unemployment is still at 9.1%.

If he doesn't get that down, it won't matter what his family thinks. The GOP can run Bachmann and win.

[gonzomax]

If the Repubs do not lift the debt ceiling things will get a lot worse. I think the voters will know who is responsible.
Legarde ,the new head of the IMF says there would be terrible consequences if the Repubs did not do the right thing.
McConnell said long ago his job was to make Obama a 1 term president. He may be miscalculating .He may bring voter wrath down on those responsible ,the Repubs.

[Recovering Republican]

If the Repubs do not lift the debt ceiling things will get a lot worse. I think the voters will know who is responsible.
Legarde ,the new head of the IMF says there would be terrible consequences if the Repubs did not do the right thing.
McConnell said long ago his job was to make Obama a 1 term president. He may be miscalculating .He may bring voter wrath down on those responsible ,the Repubs.


McConnell's not the problem. He and Boehner have agreed to a framework. It's getting their caucuses to vote for it if Obama keeps insisting on tax increases.

Nobody wants tax increases.

[CaptMurdock]

Nobody wants tax increases.

Wants, no.

Thinks they are necessary... different story.

[tnetennba]

Nobody wants to pay the mortgage or clean the bathroom either. But the grown ups do it.

[Recovering Republican]

Wants, no.

Thinks they are necessary... different story.

There's no indication they think that, either. Again, Obama has not laid that foundation.

Let's not forget, when George H. W. Bush had to raise taxes in order to save the banking industry, absolutely no one gave him credit for being a "grown-up" or doing what was "necessary". They crucified the man for it.

[tnetennba]

They crucified the man for it.

Clinton got a lot of mileage out of it in his campaign commercials. Led to the Grover Norquist era of fear-based policy.

[Recovering Republican]

Clinton got a lot of mileage out of it in his campaign commercials. Led to the Grover Norquist era of fear-based policy.


Which I think we can both agree is a bad thing. Wow. Common Ground.

But it goes back to the point. Obama is screwed either way on taxes. If he raises them, he's the one who raised them. If he doesn't, the whole debt issue is still out there and we are going to face this problem again in two years.

[Cyberhwk]

Nobody wants tax increases.
Voters back 69 - 28 percent raising taxes on households earning $250,000 or more.
Quinnipac Poll 5/4 (http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1295.xml?ReleaseID=1595)

[Recovering Republican]

Quinnipac Poll 5/4 (http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1295.xml?ReleaseID=1595)


Ask Bush or Clinton how popular tax increases were when they did them.

[Marley23]

Since the original thread topic has been left behind, I'm closing this. The same discussion is taking place in other threads.