[jolepp]

2012 will an important year for America. The president, elected amid such optimism and enthusiasm in 2008, could be chucked out of office. The times feel very different. Obama was elected promising hope and change.
...
Obama loyalists will point out that no mortal could have lived up to the expectations heaped upon his head, especially when he has been dealt such a poor hand. They argue that he has saved the country from ruin, while accepting no-one gets credit for preventing disasters.

But it is also true that many of those who strongly backed him, and will still back him, think he has not been bold enough and has not confronted those who were always going to tear him down.

Many in the less ideological middle ground have the opposite complaint. They are often disappointed that instead of the dawn of a new politics, there has been a exacerbation of politics as usual.

One of Mr Obama's key appeals was as a healer, a bridge as one biography put it. He preached a future where Americans would work together reaching across party divides. Instead the bitterness, distrust, and gridlock has grown worse.
...

BBC News - Is Obama doomed in 2012?

[Rondec]

Obama will run on the platform that he couldn't do anything because of an obstructionist congress.

Whether he is reelected depends a lot on who he faces in the general election and particularly for someone like Romney, whether or not he has to cater too much to the right wing aspects of the Republican party in order to get primary wins.

[jogiba]

If you think giving the rich a huge tax break even after their taxes were cut in half since the 80's will improve your life then Mitt Romney is your man.

[jolepp]

BBC's take on the Republican candidates: BBC News - Republican candidates

[boriscleto]

I love British understatement...

On Santorum

In 1994 he was elected to the Senate, where he made a name for himself as a fierce opponent of abortion and gay rights.

They don't mention that his name in now synonymous with "The frothy mixture of feces and lube that is often the result of anal sex."

[Wheatfield]

BBC/Mark Mardell: Is Obama doomed in 2012?

Is the USA doomed if they elect one of the Republican nutbars that seems to be all they can attract?

[jolepp]

BBC/Mark Mardell - 'Are the Republican candidates all crazy?'

I've lost count of the number of times over the Christmas break that people have asked me some variation of that question. Weird, mad or bonkers, what ever word they used their contemptuous dismissal was the same.
...
After 2008 the Republicans followed a pattern familiar to defeated parties.

Having lost supporters and members from the middle ground, the core who remain were furious with their leaders, and decided the problem was a lack of ideological purity.

That became a more important touchstone than character, skill or electability in a candidate.

Ideological high ground

The admirably democratic primary system, where ordinary party members choose their candidates in an exhausting and exhaustive process, exacerbates this tendency.

It is not just that candidates have to appeal to the base.

They they have to outbid each other by showing they are more hardline. There is no merit in moderation.

The standard way to do down rivals, is by pointing out any deviation that could be seen as liberal or centrist.

This means from the view of a mainstream British Conservative the ideas espoused by the majority of Republican candidates while not crazy, are pretty hardline.

...the way candidates are forced to fight each other for the ideological high ground destroys any sense of balance or subtlety.

---

Last edited by jolepp; 01-02-2012 at 03:50 PM.

[Ratmagiclady]

Is the USA doomed if they elect one of the Republican nutbars that seems to be all they can attract?

They're all mad, the GOP candidates. It's not about winning: their backers profit by *losing* just as we've seen. They're all right-wing *fanatics,* and if Wisconsin and Michigan are any lessons, you should never assume a fanatic is playing to *win.*


Romney's actually the least-ridiculous choice, but don't believe a word he says. If he'd made the conservatives in Massachusetts happy, they wouldn't be all Teabaggey.

Also, yes, he did promise to not mess with LGBT civil rights in Massahusetts and lied. So he pissed off everyone. (Except corporatist liars. And Mormon right-wingers. And the Herald. Which ought to warn everyone right there. )

Seriously, if the GOP wants to put up a real candidate, find someone who's not a national embarrassment this time. Gods. Teach Huntsman to do a decent Jimmy Stewart at least. Or better yet, ask what actual things people want to happen. Remember that? Representative government? Not a corporate ad campaign?

[Parallax]

Remember that? Representative government? Not a corporate ad campaign?

Gone the way of the dodo, I'm afraid.

[Ratmagiclady]

Gone the way of the dodo, I'm afraid.

*putting a couple little brass tokens on the table. * Then with me, that. Double or nothing.


(Trust me, the 'nothing' sucks. Bravada only goes so far, but here I am. )

[reeftool]

Judging by the bunch of Republicans fighting it out right now, I'd say the Presidents odds of being re-elected are pretty good unless he does something really stupid.