If Obama is challenged in the primary

[LoZoccolo]

I will vote for him.

Yes we can!

[liberal N proud]

1. That would be pretty strange

No one has the balls to challenge a sitting President from his/her own party.

[bigwillq]

3. Ted Kennedy did (nt)

[Freddie Stubbs]

32. And look how well that worked out:

[Ken Burch]

39. If Carter had ditched the Shah and put full employment before the rich man's goal of low inflation

There'd have been no primary challenge and he'd would've won a second term going away.

Jimmy Carter is a good man, but the most unpopular choices he made as president were the most conservative ones.

There was no reason at all for him to cut social spending, reduce the scope of federal jobs programs, and put more missiles in Europe.
None of those choices had any positive results for the voters of the Democratic coalition.

[Freddie Stubbs]

49. Low inflation helps the poor more that it does the rich

[Ken Burch]

80. The PROGRESSIVE way to fight inflation is price controls...not austerity budgets

And not leaving the unemployed to rot. We needed a second New Deal, and instead we got policies Herbert Hoover would've used.

Had he put jobs programs in and ending unemployment first, Reagan wouldn't have had a chance.

[Freddie Stubbs]

82. Nixon tried price controls and it was a failure

[Ken Burch]

83. It got him reelected in a landslide.

n/t.

[LiberalAndProud]

52. Rich man's goal of low inflation?

Inflation is not the friend of the poor or middle class. That line is utter and complete nonsense.

[suzie]

67. +500

[argonaut]

77. You obviously don't know a lot about economics.

Inflation is a jobs killer.

[Ken Burch]

81. Which is a case for price controls, not cutting social spending

the poor never benefit from anything that INCREASES unemployment.

We needed the man to fight for jobs programs. Instead, he CUT jobs programs.

When Democrats are in the White House, labor and the poor are supposed to be able to count, at the very least, on NOT losing ground.

[lapfog_1]

4. Ted Kennedy did. - n/t

[avaistheone1]

14. Don't count on it.

Many Democrats and Indies are hungry for change, and we don't feel we are getting it. There is a huge vacuum opening up for Democratic leadership.

[derby378]

2. I'll vote for whom I think will do the best job of serving America as President

Right now, there is insufficient data for me to give a meaningful answer as to whom I'd support in 2012.

It may very well be Barack Obama. But then again, one never knows.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

5. Stop being so sensible derb!

I'm gonna need to see some serious change first myself.

[derby378]

7. Ha!

:hi:

[styersc]

8. amen.

[bigwillq]

9. Good post.

:thumbsup:

[Moochy]

6. Hooray for You, Me, Obama, USA and Dancing Kittens!

:patriot:

[inna]

21. OMG, I love this!

:rofl:

I'm SO stealing this. :P

[Tejas]

10. Hillary will mop the floor with him.

[emilyg]

16. Dean-Clinton

I can dream.

[Jennicut]

46. Dean and Clinton have zero in common, she is to the right on him on

the economy and foreign policy.

[mkultra]

50. thats more of a fantasy

than a dream

[emilyg]

54. It's a nice fantasy - I'm in my

70's and would love to see a woman prez or vp in my lifetime.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

62. I hope you will.

:hug:

(and not Palin, lol)

[emilyg]

65. Thank you.

:pals:

[oreo3leg]

71. so would I.

[argonaut]

19. I may not have much respect for Hillary Clinton...

...but I at least think she's smart enough not to commit political suicide by challenging an incumbent President for renomination.

[jenmito]

20. Yes. His Sec. of State will run against him.

:rofl:

[timeforpeace]

26. If you say so.

[Lord Helmet]

28. Just like she did in 2008! Wait. What?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

30. Because she did so well last time.

:rofl:

Man. I'd love to see that just to see all the broken hearts all over again.

[Beacool]

31. Hillary will not pull a Ted Kennedy.

More's the pity since the bloom is off the Obama rose.

:eyes:

[Ken Burch]

40. How could she do that?

She'd be running to Obama's right on economic policy and on foreign policy. Why would anyone want to replace this administration with another Democratic administration that was MORE conservative?

Nobody could really think our problems would be solved if we just vaporized Iran.

[Tejas]

53. Who's been in.gov AND foreign policy longer?

[Perky]

43. Clark-Kucinch 2012!!!!

:sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm:
:sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm:
:sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm:
:sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm:
:sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm:
:sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm::sarcasm:

[goldcanyonaz]

45. Hillary would never challenge Obama. I do hope she would run again in 2016.

I love Hillary.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

63. I agree. She WILL NOT challenge Obama. But I really hope she wants to run in 2016.

[Beacool]

74. Hear, hear!!

:applause:

[dionysus]

57. care to wager a large sum of money?

:rofl:

[Aramchek]

78. now that is funny!

[flvegan]

11. I'm looking forward to voting for Kucinich again.

But, should Obama win the dem nom, I'll vote for him again. What choice do I have?

[Enrique]

12. at least wait for the debates

it's way to early to decide now.

[AllentownJake]

13. He has 2 years before I have to decide

When that 2 years is up, I will make my decision based on his actions.

[tavalon]

23. And while his pragmatic, too politically savvy ways are making progressives feel crazy

those very traits will serve him, and us well after the midterms. It's a given that the midterms are going to be a blood bath for the Democrats and Obama will know full well why and he'll be getting his progressive politician out of the closet and ironing it up and parading it all over these United States, so much so you'll hardly recognize him. He was the comeback kid before and will be again once he realizes that we demand progress and we will get it, with or without him leading the charge.

[AllentownJake]

27. He should come out swinging with populist rhetoric this year

A financial regulations overhaul fight, would be very good for the party right now, very good.

He has a made bad guy, beat the fuck out of it.

Otherwise he's playing defense on deficits and taxes.

[burning rain]

29. If the midterms are a bloodbath for congressional Democrats....

Obama would look completely phony to go populist in their wake. It would be clear a Congress in which Republicans held well more seats than now, would pass no remotely progressive measures, and that if he'd wanted such, he'd have pressed for them from 2009-11. Also, Obama obsessively seeks the center, and would predictably react to big GOP gains in 2010, by moving further to the right, as Bill Clinton did after the Republicans' big win in 1994.

[Ken Burch]

41. So you're saying

That he's going to lead us to a bloodbath in 2010 by being too right wing, and then stage a stunning comeback by tacking hard left?

He's going to bring us back from the depths by running against HIMSELF?

Er...say what?

[tavalon]

55. I think that's exactly what he's going to do

and I hope that the tacking includes dumping the Rahminator.

[depakid]

15. Gene McCarthy

Two out of the last three Dem presidents had a primary challenger (and Clinton and Carter had relatively strong 3rd party candidates in the general).

Then of course, there was 2000 -brought to us by the Clinton administration's incessant pandering to the right- and the Gore campaign's fixation on the ephemeral center.

Bottom line- create the perception of a political vacuum- and someone and some group(s) will fill it.

[suzie]

68. What garbage.

2000 was brought to us by the selfishness of those who needed to feel themselves too pure to vote for a nasty old politician.

So they stuck us with Dick Cheney and his sidekick.

[CK_John]

17. In 2011 or sooner he will announce he is not running for reelection. n/t

[jenmito]

18. You wish. n/t

[onenote]

60. another one of DU's great "predictors"!!

WIth your track record, please let me know who you think is going to win the super bowl, so I can bet on the other team.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=6617588
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=8445808
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=6617492
(FWIW, you were right about Staten Island--barely. http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/states/president/new-york.html)

[CK_John]

69. Onenote you need to add a new rift to your cyber stalking or go play in traffic at rush hour. n/t

[onenote]

70. ahh...did I strike a nerve?

[CakeGrrl]

73. You probably thought he'd drop out of the Primaries after PA too.

:rofl:

[Aramchek]

79. he'll run and he'll win. and I'll laugh in your face.

[Clio the Leo]

22. .... I will eat a bug. NT

[TexasProgresive]

24. I will vote for him also but if challenged we will likely end up with

a puke in the WH. I can't recall a sitting president being challenged in the primaries winning the general- either one. There is too much damage.

[That Is Quite Enough]

25. I will, too.

I'm still a proud Obama supporter.

[angee_is_mad]

33. Fired Up, Ready to Go

Yes We can, again!!!!

[Bryan]

34. Not me

I'm voting for whoever that challenger may be, purely out of pity.

You see, a person who decides that they want to put their life on hold for one to two years to earn the privilege of being pounded into mincemeat by a sitting President who happens to be the most adept national campaigner of the past two decades is capable of anything, and if they're stumping in Iowa and soaking up the glare of the cameras, then they're much less likely to hatch a plot to hold the New York Stock Exchange hostage with a BB gun and a pile of water balloons filled with their own urine.

[ZombieHorde]

35. What makes you think the challanger will be a "him," as opposed to a "her?" nt

[lamp_shade]

36. As will I.

[dkf]

37. I'd be interested in voting for Bernie Sanders or Jim Webb.

Two opposites I know, but I love both of them.

Also Howard Dean.

I can't think of any woman though, which is sad. I'll sleep on it.

[Ken Burch]

42. How about a Sanders-Webb ticket?

n/t.

[dkf]

44. haha. That is kind of a mismatch.

Hmm. Maybe it is feasible? Definitely fills in the blanks.

[Ken Burch]

38. Were you expecting anyone to be surprised?

In fact, it appears you support the man more the further to the right he gets.

Would you at least agree that, if the man is renominated, there should be open debate and free votes on the platform at the next convention? Without such things, can't we assume the administration will just keep getting more and more conservative and submissive to corporate power?

[LoZoccolo]

75. I think I see what you'd like to do with the platform.

Correct me if I'm wrong: you'd like to inject some left-wing initiatives in the platform which you'd later use to hold Democratic politicians accountable. I'm not sure that that would work because not every politician obeys it. As always, I think the best strategy for you would be to work the populace; the GLBT rights movement, marijuana lagalization movement, and environmental movements have all been making slow but steady gains with that. Without that foundation of firm support, you'll always be asking the politicians to take more risk than they would otherwise. You might call them cowards, but doing so will not put one person or the other in office.

I think what you're seeing with my level of Obama support is that I defend him more when he's being attacked.

[NYC Liberal]

76. It won't get "more" conservative or "submissive to corporate power"

because it hasn't even done it to begin with. We have a liberal Democrat in the White House, and some people hate that but there you go. Just because you disagree with President Obama on some issues, does not mean he is not a liberal or a Democrat.

[Jennicut]

47. If Obama is challenged in the primary Dems will lose and Rethugs will rule once again.

I can't wait! Challenging Obama so moves him to the left! Yes, it does! Pathetic, really.
There are some things I am disappointed in Obama with but how many times do we need to be shown that trying to move the centrist to the left only means they will go to the right? Example: Clinton, after the 94 midterms. Maybe I am too much of a realist and not emotionally tied to politics like some are.

[Tailormyst]

48. Good for you!

Everyone should vote. My vote would depend on who the opponent was.

[mkultra]

51. I challange anyone who thinks Obama will lose in the primary

to a bet. Just post below me that you accept and the terms are that the loser must leave DU for good.
Obama will smoke ANYONE in the primary. Any takers or just a bunch of big mouth cowards?

[dionysus]

58. let's set up a joint paypal account and fleece these idiots.

:)

[dionysus]

56. i propose the members of Oasis douse themselves in petrol and set themselves aflame

[LoZoccolo]

61. Your plan against Noel Gallagher will just cause him to become an hero of rock and roll. n/t

[Imagevision]

59. Look! big business founded this country they will always continue to rub it - Stooges like

Clinton Bush and Obama are nothing more then 'spokesmen' for the... "group"

[tritsofme]

64. The question that is on everyone's mind...

When will Lee Mercer Jr announce his campaign?

[liquid diamond]

66. Fret not.

People here are just talking big shit because it's only Obama's first year in office. When the repuke challenger emerges around 2011, most of us will close ranks. Of course some will throw away their votes on Kucinich or some other unelectable idealist, but that won't hurt us very much.

[Shadrach]

72. I would vote for him as well

I don't think it is a good idea to create division. We still have a lot of time before it's time for presidential elections and a lot can happen between now and then that will make people proud of Obama.