I'm a ****ing native Texan, goofus, with an ancestor who's name is on the San Jacinto Monument. You and others chose to ignore the ****ty job Obama did leading the party during the midterm election. You chose to blame the performance of the party on the economy, stupid, saying that nothing he could have done would have made a difference. I disagree, believing that had the President articulated a coherent message and done a much better job as the standard bearer of the Democratic Party leading up to the midterms, that while there certainly would have been losses, those losses wouldn't have been as severe. Yes, even in Texas. You go ahead and assume the President is perfect. Personally, I've never seen a perfect President, and I even remember Eisenhower. I expect Obama to do much better running for reelection, bringing the intelligence and fire he had during his primary and election campaigns. Intelligence and fire he chose to leave in the hall closet during the run up to November. Do you even vote in Texas? Do you have a freakin' clue as to what a disaster the midterms were for this state? I truly don't think you understand a hell of a lot about that particular topic, with all respect due.
It will be funny when those very same 'liberal' Californians start voting these people out . . . . Rocket River
you're blaming him for republicans in texas gaining a supermajority. that's silly, and no I don't think he's perfect, but I know Texas
So you've gone from me blaming Obama for "Texas being Republican" to me blaming Obama for Texas having a "super majority" of Republicans in the Texas House. While my complaint is his horrid performance during the midterm campaign and not simply that the GOP in Texas made huge gains in the Texas House after years of Democrats making slow and steady progress, you unintentionally make a good point. Yes, the President's midterm election performance probably did cost some state Democratic representatives their seats. Studies will eventually show just what impact Obama's midterm performance had on elections in Texas, as well as anger with his own performance as President, anger misplaced in a lot of ways, not misplaced in others. So I'll try again. I'm saying he's part of the blame for the huge defeat Democrats suffered in Texas. At the beginning of the last Legislative session, the Texas House was divided 76-74, with the GOP having a narrow 2 seat majority, the closest margin in the history of the Texas House. Two years ago saw the continuation of a trend towards Democrats and away from Republicans in the Texas Legislature, with Democrats nearing parity there with the GOP, especially the House. This was because of some damned hard work for years by a lot of Texas Democrats. In November, years of hard work was washed away. This wasn't simply a defeat for the Democratic Party in Texas. This was an out and out disaster, and right before redistricting. You find Obama to be blameless. I do not. While there are many reasons behind the debacle, a big one, the elephant in the room, was anger at the President's performance and that of the Democratic Congress and its leadership, primarily the leadership, in my opinion, not simply "the economy, stupid." Misplaced anger? As a Democrat, I would say yes. Who's responsibilty is it to bring the message of the actual accomplishments of the Democratic majority in the US Congress to the American people? Doesn't a huge amount of that responsibility rest on the shoulders of the leader of that party, the President? He failed to have a coherent campaign message, one the American people, and that includes Texans, could understand. Most Americans weren't even aware, for example, that they had had their taxes cut. Isn't the job of the President, the leader of his party, to insure that the accomplishments of that party are known to the public? Do you not see the responsibility Obama bears for failing to get across that message? Obviously, you do not. Those who do, it's equally as obvious, in your eyes are simply "ignorant or delusional." That, or as B-Bob would say (from memory), "buying into the Republican talking points." I'm beginning to wonder just what the number of actual Texas Democrats on this board amounts to, and I'm not interested in another stupid poll about it. There is far more interest in national Democratic politics and far less interest, and awareness, of Texas state Democratic politics here. That's become perfectly obvious to me.
perfect example, if you don't know your taxes went down, can I really blame the president for that lack of knowledge
Yes, how can you not? Is he, or is he not, the leader of the Democratic Party? Was he, or was he not, the leader during the run up to the midterm elections? Isn't making the public aware of the positives in the record of your party of paramount importance? Yet you would hold Obama blameless. You are a perfect example of what is wrong with my party. Blame everything that's gone wrong on everyone except the guy at the top. If we cannot attach blame for our failures, how can we learn? People like you would make the same mistakes and, again, blame everyone else for them. Obama shares the blame for an election catastrophe. To deny that is to deny reality.
No, I'm going to tell you that I've finished wasting my time discussing this with you. I swear to god, are you even reading my posts? With all due respect.
you're saying that americans don't know about the accomplishments? right, that's your argument, do americans not know health care legislation was passed?
its an even sillier argument because turnout for midterm elections is always poor to began with. hell, only a certain portion of the population vote anyway. I think Democrats tend to forget, Obama won and dems won in 08 off poor performance from the previous administration. unfortunately people who did vote were very impatient, but midterm voters are informed and to suggest they aren't is simply not acknowledging reality
Ya know you could always move to one of your liberal safe havens like Cali, Illinois, New Jersey or New York.
No clue. Just sounded like a good idea. I recently took a trip to Biloxi and thought, why doesn't Texas have this...and I'm not a big gambler at all.
And you could move overseas to the oligarchy of your choice. No thanks. I moved to the most liberal part of Texas 30 years ago, Austin, that blue speck you see on the election maps of Texas. I'm a patriotic Texan, more patriotic than you, by my estimation. (New Jersey? Are you kidding me???)
Deckard; I've been skimming your back and forth with Pgab and I think you are putting way too much stock in the ability of a president during an off year election to win over the electorate. I fully agree with you that Obama could have done more and better but I think you are expecting too much and especially putting too much blame on Obama for what happened in Texas. Historically Presidents have lost seats during the midterm election especially with a down economy. We tend to forget that since GW Bush gained seats in his first midterm but consider that 9/11 had happened which is out of the norm. Also if you are going to be so down on Obama consider that even though we have the worst economy since the Great Depression while Obama lost the house he still kept the Senate, although narrowly. Bill Clinton with an economy not quite so bad lost both the House and the Senate even though the House had been in Dem. hands for 40 years. I agree better messaging on Obama's part might've saved a few more house seats but I doubt enough to keep the House. Its possible he saves Texas from becoming a supermajority but in a down year in an very red state I doubt that Obama has much sway.
Sishir, the responses I've gotten from P-Gabs and others when I've criticized the President for his midterm election performance, here and in other threads, have some things in common. An uncanny determination to place blame on anything and anyone except him. An equal determination to take my posts and twist them like a pretzel, intentionally or not. I have never placed all the blame for this fiasco on the President. Never. Yet I keep being accused of it. I keep getting "It's the economy, stupid!" as the convenient excuse, but it has never simply been the economy (stupid!). I hear how midterm elections almost always see the President's party take a hit and have never denied it, saying that while those two old saws have a lot of truth, many things caused this particular midterm election to be a disaster of historical proportions, both nationally and down ballot in the state and local elections. And one of those many things, with arguably a huge impact, is Obama's performance during this midterm election. In my opinion, it stunk. I post that and am accused of ignorance about the obvious things I know, when the ignorance, from where I sit, is both in ignoring what I say in my posts, and that we (my party, and a lot of Obama's supporters don't belong to that party, which is perfectly obvious) could have reduced the damage had Obama done a good, even just a decent job holding up his end. Leading the party into the elections with a coherent message, insuring that the public actually knew of the real accomplishments of this admistration and congress. In that, the President failed, big time. To get the two main accomplishments passed, financal reform and healthcare reform, a lot of Democrats stuck their necks out, only to have the electorate chop off their heads come November. And where was the President? While it is true many didn't want him campaigning for them (a mistake, IMO), others would have loved to have him campaign in their district and state. His lackadaisical effort amounted to to little, too late. In many House districts whose representatives cast critical, crucial votes knowing there would be a political cost, he didn't even appear. He touted raising the insurance coverage age for children of parents with insurance to 26, yet the representative who introduced that measure didn't get a visit from the President. She lost in a tight race. That's one example, but where he did appear to campaign, in many cases, it was a late flurry in the last couple of weeks before the election. There was no coherent campaign strategy as well as that incoherent message I mentioned. But he's to get no blame? I've never said the President "lost" this election. I said that he could have done a far better job leading his party and done a hell of a lot more, reducing the losses. I stand by that. I just wish those who have slammed me for it actually read my posts. The knee jerk reaction to some of them clearly shows that when they got to something critical about Obama, they immediately uncorked the old saws about midterm elections and said, essentially, that none of this was Obama's fault. Some of it was. Probably more than what I've complained about. And again, if we don't acknowledge our mistakes, the mistakes of the leadership, and not only Obama's, how can we learn? How will we have success going forward? The attitudes of some here would doom us to an endless roller coaster ride of highs and lows. It is as if Obama's election and reelection are all that count. Frankly, that may be an attitude that permeates the West Wing. It is a mistake that has cost us, but yeah, his reelection campaign will look far different than this recent midterm campaign. I wonder why that has to be.
^ I'm not really sure what you what you were expecting. You acknowledge that historically presidents have lost seats in midterms and also that we have a bad economy. I agree that Obama did a bad job but were you expecting for him to be able to hold onto the House if he had done a better job with his message? I agree with you that things could've been done better and I'm not going to accuse you of being a bad Democrat, especially since I am an independent, but you seem to be bashing Obama for stuff that you acknowledge goes against the tide of history.
At the end of the day . . .whether you say Obama or Pelosi or whoever. . . The Democratic leadership screwed the pooch. With the Redistricting coming up . . . . Alot was at stake. This midterm maybe the most important since 1990 [Last midterm in a redistricting year?]. . . . [not election but midterm] When you run on CHANGE you cannot go back and say Well . . . history shows . . . . history shows a white male was always president That changed. . . I think folx like Deckard were looking for more change I think the Demo Party has been inefficient Situationally failing . . . while still managing to get some victories Health Care passed but was it really in the form we wanted? Obama nor any of the Demo Leadership get a pass. Sorry . . when something happens on your watch . . you have to own it. He is not 100% to blame but he is not blameless either. Democrats are IMO at a crossroads. These last two years will be the fight of their lives If they fail. They will lose all three - Senate - House and Presidency and Judging by their record . . . . I maybe ready to predict just that. they need to change . .. and need it soon! Rocket River
