Up until yesterday I was convinced that Obama was going to win next year, since the Republicans are going to nominate a crazy person, or the crazy wing (now the majority) of their party will stay home if they go with Mitt (who qualifies as not crazy only by comparison with the alternatives).
Now, I’m not so sure. Yesterday’s Times featured an article about the pervasive sense of disappointment afflicting Obama’s base. I won’t name names, but there are people who were quite pissed off at me a year or so ago when I was bemoaning Obama’s weakness and abandonment of his alleged principles, who are now resigned to admitting that I have a point. i’m sure this thinking is not confined to Southeast Connecticut This reaction may be exacerbated by the fact that Obama got everyone’s hopes so high. Somehow he managed to burn through a seemingly infinite supply of goof wii (from his own, or should I say former, base). This is something that no one can rationally deny, so how do you explain this delusional statement:
Jim Messina, the campaign manager for the president’s re-election, said the criticism was largely a “Washington conversation” that did not match up with the on-the-ground enthusiasm for Mr. Obama among his network of supporters. Yet even without a primary challenger, the campaign purposefully started its effort early to allow concerns from supporters to be aired.
Now, it may be that Messina is perfectly aware that this is not a Washington conversation. In fact, I’d argue that Washington was the last place that noticed that Obama was losing the faith of his supporters, the pundits there being so big on compromise (definition: giving the Republicans what they want) and all. I would be willing to bet that there’s very few Congresspersons who have not been hearing some variant of the “I’m disappointed with Obama” meme from their own most fervent non-Washington based, supporters; I know that my Congressman has heard it.
You can win a presidential race and be delusional, but you can’t do it as a Democrat. Here’s hoping that Messina was just trying to bullshit the press. Otherwise, we may be in for a really bad four years.
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