Here's how one of the the deeply committed Obama supportersMR SUBLIMIBAL Oborg explains the basis for Obama's candidacy over at TPM. (The post is about a national Unity
ad. They're not gonna throw a single dogwhistle our way; in fact, they're gonna turn the Unity knobs up to 11.) This quote can serve as a stand in for many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many other comments elsewhere:
When Obama says he wants to reach Republicans, of course he doesn't mean the red meat voters; those people are lost to the Democrats forever. He means Chuck Hagel-type Republicans, who are moderate on some social issues, and on foreign policy -- the kind who have been forced by Rove and Bush to toe the line.
Obama doesn't really want to sweep the nation; that's impossible. He just wants 60 seats in the Senate and a handy House majority. 60 seats is filibuster-proof.
And, as I said, this talking point has been repeated, and repeated, and repeated, and repeated, and repeated, and repeated, and repeated, and repeated, and repeated.
Anybody know if there's any, like, evidence to support it?
I'm not a poll wonk, but last I checked all Democrats polled well nationally. Is there any reason to think that the "appealing to the moderate Rebublicans" works? Is something only Obama can do? Can get us to 60 seats in the Senate?
Or is this statement one of those ideas that becomes "true" by repetition?
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Is Obama working to replace the Blue Dogs/Bush Dogs?
If he's not up for supporting better Democrats, it'll take a bunch more than 60.
One, two, many Joe Liebermans!
Who is, after all, Obama's mentor....
[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. -- Mahatma Gandhi
Chuck Hagel
I read somewhere (probably on Openleft) that Chuck Hagel was the Senator that voted in accordance with the Bush Administration more than anyone else. I think he had a 97% score in that regard.
Only low-information voters, which I've sadly learned contains too many liberal bloggers, and retards believe that Chuck Hagel is some sort of independent or moderate Republican.
Blue Dogs
Great comment, VL.
[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. -- Mahatma Gandhi
Fuck I Should Have Googled It First
It wasn't OpenLeft, it was Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks over at Huffington Post.
Since the beginning of the Bush Administration (until the time that article was written), Chuck Hagel voted with the Bush administration 95% of the time, according to Cenk's article. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/who-is-chuck-hagel_b_40031.html
Devil's advocate
I figure the logic goes something like this: 54% voted for Bush in the last election, and GWB's current approval ratings hover around 28%, so the Obamaites look at that other 26% as moderates who are theirs for the taking, and as voters who would mostly return to the GOP if Hillary were nominated.
Obama's argument all along has been that only he can produce a sizable Democratic majority in the House and a filibuster-proof Senate. Apart from the matter of whether Obama is overestimating the length of his coattails, I have two other concerns. First, there's my longstanding conviction that the more that Democrats invite conservatives into the party, the harder it becomes for progressives to articulate and enact a liberal agenda. Also, I disagree with the assumption that the voting pool is a zero-sum game in which Democrats can only win by stealing voters from the GOP side. I've always said that Democrats need to spend less time trying to pick off Republicans and more time making Democrats out of the people who don't vote at all. Unfortunately, it appears that the Democratic leadership is scared of the people who that strategy would bring into the party.
...for the rest of us
Don't no don't now try to get yourself elected
If you do you had better cut your hair
The marginal utiliy of the last low information voter
How much do we have to give away in integrity?
Has anybody done the math on a 60 seat Senate? Why on earth would that be possible?
Incidentally, in the first iteration of this defense, the Oborg were claiming that Unity
was needed to pick off Senators in onesies and twosies.
Now this claim seems to have mutated to a filibuster proof Senate. Any evidence on that?
[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. -- Mahatma Gandhi
i'd like to see links to that
only he can produce a sizable Democratic majority in the House and a filibuster-proof Senate.
is he really making that claim? wow, that's...audacious. a black man, or a woman, or populist, should never say such a thing as they run for prez. it's just ignorant of the reality of the electorate. there are no "coat tails" for any such candidate, not in this media environment, not in this country of the dominant 'victim/white male.'
hayall no. do people really believe that? it's seems...foolish and shortsighted of historical precedent.
Dat be some strange math, perhaps Rovian is the proper...
.....adjective, there that is. Since....
Recent polls show Senator 'Dope', my new nickname arising from the spectacle...sho is...of a Democratic candidate for President of the United States luvin' him some St. Ronnie the Racist Prick, cannot be depended upon to carry...wait for it....wait...wait.....
A single fukin' Southern State.
Now our nightly singalong of Kumbaya....
I don't think we'll be using the nickname Senator 'Coattails' for this clown.
Hey, A citizen...
Drop me a line:
lambert_strether.corrente AT yahoo DOT com.
[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. -- Mahatma Gandhi