Obama warns party to focus on 2014, not 2016

[DonViejo]

Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEDRA PICKLER, ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats could get walloped in the November elections. The party gets sleepy and distracted in the midterms. And its supporters simply may not show up to vote.

Those aren’t hopeful predictions from Republicans. They’re the dire warnings of President Barack Obama, who is seeking to gin up enthusiasm for the midterm elections from party activists already looking toward the 2016 race to replace him.

The remainder of his presidency hangs on Democratic performance in the November contest. If voters hand the Senate over to Republican control, Obama will lose even the uphill chance he has to get legislation passed in his remaining time in office.

“I hope that just because I’m not on the ballot that people aren’t going to take it easy this time, because the ideas I care about and am fighting for are on the ballot,” Obama said to about 75 donors who paid $5,000 to $20,000 to hear him speak over dinner at a swanky Boston art gallery Wednesday night.

Read more: http://www.salon.com/2014/03/08/obama_warns_party_to_focus_on_2014_not_2016/

[book_worm]

1. I hate to say it but do expect this to be a GOP year

it seems that 'the base' can't get excited or turn out and vote in a mid term election like they can in a presidential election. It often seems like you need a marquee name like Obama or Clinton on the ballot to do the trick.

[Le Taz Hot]

3. It would be nice if we had someone to vote FOR.

The DCCC is supporting a total of 19 candidates out of 435. Gee, wonder why turnout would be down? Hmmmmm . . . .

[riversedge]

4. For Wisconsin Gov race we need to get rid of Walker

I am satisfied with mary burke
My 1st choice was Kathleen Vinehout but she withdrew.

[RC]

2. Putting our efforts and resources into the 2016 presidential election now, is taking needed resources

away from the 2014 mid terms. If you think it's grid lock and bullshit now, losing the Senate and not getting the House will be the end of US as a free country. Between the certifiably insane, the Supreme Court and Obama being a corporatist, they won't need the 2016 elections for the take over. The 2016 elections will be for show, a fig leaf, to maintain the appearance that we have any say at all, a bit longer, before the curtain is pulled back, reveling the brick wall at the back of the theater.
At the moment, I think we still do have a little influence. We need to take care of first things first, the 2014 mid terms.

[Cal33]

5. You are absolutely correct. If the Dems. lose both Houses of Congress in 2014, having a

Democratic president in 2016 is having a lame-duck president before s/he even starts
on his/her job. Right now, 2014 is definitely more important.

[riversedge]

6. I truly

think losing the Senate would be pure hell for the country.

[rtracey]

9. true

not too mention, on the 58th time Obamacare gets voted to repeal,when it goes to the repub controlled senate......done...gone, good luck poor people and seniors.....

[24601]

19. Especially with the filibuster for most positions. If they take the Senate in November and the WH

in 2016, the ability to stop things will have been given up for minimal gain.

[mountain grammy]

7. This is a grass roots election.. state by state and we can do it.

Concentrate on the elections in our own states. That's where the damage is being done with gerrymandering and voter suppression. We must elect locally to give our national cause any hope at all. Educate your neighbors. I live in a rural area, diehard conservatives, at least they think they are. But when you start talking about bread and butter local issues, fixing roads, building schools, access to health care, people will actually become engaged.
Look at "conservative Colorado!" We legalized marijuana with a resounding majority while nearly every elected official in the state came out against it.

[CBHagman]

11. Absolutely! Step by step is the way.

Guaranteeing voting rights, boosting turnout, focusing on the real-world impact of policies, and contrasting practical, reality-based Democratic policies with the "Shut up and do as you're told" Republican approach. In fact "Shut up and do as you're told" is the whole GOP/Fox News philosophy.

To any worried DUers who are reading this, what 2014 is NOT a time for is taking out your pessimism and fondling it. The election hasn't come yet. Don't start living as though it had already happened and it went badly.

[mountain grammy]

15. Amen to that. This is the time to be optimistic about moving forward

and restoring dignity and sanity to our government. Let's elect us some liberals!

[mopinko]

8. which is why chris matthews is all hillary all the time.

i mean, once in a while, fine. but every fucking night? how is that the news? oh, yeah, it's not supposed to be.

[olegramps]

10. The Democrats are in danger of losing the Senate.

I don't know what can be done to awaken the voters to the real threat that this represents. The consequences could be disastrous. The only recourse that President Obama will have is to veto every bill that they pass to destroy SS, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and total deregulate the Stock Exchange and banking. This is their stated intentions, not just speculation. Obama should make this his prime issue and especially rally the young voters that their future in is serious jeopardy. If they gain control of the House and Senate Obama's last two years in office will be a nightmare.

[rtracey]

13. beyond nightmare

he will be a walking veto stamp, because every bill for the next 2 years will be removing everything he has done..if this happens, I can only hope for 1 progressive, liberal who cares for his country to step up and give the right the medicine we have been getting.....filibuster.......

[Brigid]

18. And many people will blame Obama.

They will say he's "incompetent," or some such nonsense. But he's not the one who's voting in the members of the clown circus we call the House and the Senate. If people want competent givernment, they have to DEMAND it through their voting behavior and by watching closely what their elected representatives do while in office. I often think that Obama, is a far better president than most Americans deserve.

[Doctor_J]

24. He will shoulder part of the blame whether you like it or not

No one forced him to extend the Bush tax cuts, or propose SS cuts 3 times, or push for the KXL and TPP, or appoint Arne Duncan, or compare liberals to teabaggers, or hand over 600 billion dollars a year to Big Insurance while leaving millions without health care, or continue torture and drone murder.

These issues are vital to getting independents to the polls. His adoption of so many Republican policies has dealt a crushing, possibly fatal, blow to the party's electoral needs. Please face that reality - it will help get the party out of it if we ever have another chance.

ETA: His appeasement/centrism/whatever you want to call it cost us dearly in 2010. He learned nothing from it.

[Doctor_J]

23. Since he's vetoed about 3 bills in 6 years, good luck with that

[Dawson Leery]

12. Agreed.

[Ash_F]

14. Need to push minimum wage. /nt

[freshwest]

16. K&R! Not only that, but Koches are working on changing city and county government officials. So that

Americans can get screwed right upclose and personal and their communities run directly by theocratic, libertarian demagogues. Ain't that grand?

[Beartracks]

17. I hope no one here is "skipping" the 2014 midterms.

If anyone is even THINKING about "teaching a lesson" to someone by their voting behavior this year, they'd better be teaching that lesson to the Tea Party and their lapdog Republicans.

========================

[L0oniX]

20. Really? Well then stop deporting latinos ...stop the TPP ...stop offering CPI ...stop the XL ...etc.

[HatTrick]

21. Thank you, I totally agree

[Doctor_J]

22. Yep. He needs desperately to look in the mirror

but he won't, and the party will get its collective ass kicked again, and he and the Fan Club will blame on liberals. Like a recurring nightmare.

[840high]

29. Etc., etc. thank you.

[DCBob]

25. Its shocking so many on the left are so complacent about 2014.

A Rethug takeover of the Senate could dramatically change the political landscape and make an already ugly situation even uglier for many in this country. Not sure what its going to take to wake them up.

[Doctor_J]

26. Links?

Please post a couple of links to articles, blog posts, etc. that indicate that "the left" is "complacent"

Your posting style is very similar to the Fox News "same have said..." canard (i. e. total bullshit)

[DCBob]

27. Here's one..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=749436

[Doctor_J]

28. Sorry, not seeing any complacency there

and that poster will most assuredly be voting this year, and sending money to worthwhile candidates.

nice try though...


Actually was a terrible effort. Like I said, very Fox Newsish.

[olegramps]

31. I only have to look at the ACTUAL turnout in 2010 for the facts.

[elleng]

30. Different Dem party leadership needed, BADLY.

[Cal33]

32. Yes, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen any time soon. And time isn't

on our side.

[elleng]

34. Right.

Life is tough enough, sure don't need politics to cause personal depression, but its heading that way.

[DFW]

33. He is SO right, too. I wish DU would listen

You know all those declared candidates for our nomination in 2016?

I don't either. And we'll have a hard time getting ANY of them elected if we don't start on the midterms now.

Howard Dean needs to come out of retirement (I told him so, too, but he's having none of it--so far. Anyone have any messages for me to pass on? Calling Dr. Howard!).

[elleng]

35. Very pleased you agree AND

would like Gov. Dean again. THANKS for telling him so.

Should we here develop an UP with Gov/Dr Dean, as Dem party 'savior?' As I see it, it might be the ONLY way, unless there's another Dem who could do it properly.

[DFW]

36. Howard doesn't WANT to be a savior

He takes a very much "been there done that" attitude, and feels younger blood needs to be involved.

Frankly, he's right, too. If he's the ONLY one out there who can save us from an electoral disaster we shouldn't be worrying about in the first place, what shape have we let ourselves deteriorate to, anyway?

[elleng]

37. Correct all around.