[Nesster]

Dan Dorfman: From Wall Street: Obama Won't Run Again

Mounting friction between Wall Street and the White House has taken on an intriguing new dimension, notably speculation from the investment community that President Obama will be so bruised by 2012 that he won't even try to seek re-election.

Harry S. Dent, Jr., a Florida investment adviser, newsletter writer and author, takes it one step further. Dent, who expects the economy to be in a deep economic downturn by the second quarter of next year, a plight he sees extending into 2012 or 2013, believes Obama's approval rating will be so low when the next national election rolls around that he will be afraid to run again.

"The economy makes or breaks Presidents, not vice versa," he says. "So with our economy failing and many signs indicating it will only get worse," Obama," contends Dent, "is politically dead."

The big economic problems, as he sees them, are the massive debt buildup and the likelihood of a major slowdown in consumption, spurred by a retirement-conscious baby boomer population that will be much more intent on saving than spending.

Since he views the ailing economy as the number one voter issue, Dent sees the Democrats getting hammered in the upcoming elections and possibly losing both the House and Senate.

In his latest commentary to his newsletter subscribers, Dent expressed the view that 2012 could witness an ultimate three-way race for the Presidency, The trio: Hillary Clinton, a far right nominee (Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich) and Michael Bloomberg, who Dent expects to seek the White House as an independent candidate). If that were to happen, Dent says Bloomberg, an accomplished businessman, would be his top choice.

At the same time, Dent thinks it's possible that a more centrist candidate could emerge for the Republicans, say Jeb Bush, that is if he could overcome the legacy of George W. Bush.

Cheers, jeers? The Nostradamus prediction about '3 brothers' ruling - this was interpreted as the Kennedys back when - in typical Nostradamus fashion could be '3 Bushes'...

[GeneV]

History may prove me wrong, but I don't see a lot of great insights there. Obama is the best the Dems have, and he will be the candidate. No Bush or Clinton is likely to be on the ticket anytime soon. There are huge negatives to both names within their own parties. The PUMA Hillary supporters never quite got that, BTW.

[Nesster]

yes, I thought this was interesting speculation... and required a bad economy slipping into yet another recession next year, and with no end in sight. Obviously some ...hate? dislike?... Obama enough to fantasize something very very bad for the USA, in order to bring about a Republican victory.