Primary Obama Immediately

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"Given the choice between a Republican and someone who acts like a Republican, people will vote for the real Republican all the time." - Harry Truman

Obama's failed miserably at puting the immense political capital he had at the start of his administration, using the bully pulpit of the Presidency, reminding people early on of the crimes of the Cheney Administration, redressing the crimes of the Cheney years, restraining Homeland Security through the legal system, or passing effective healthcare reform (as opposed to the current corporate welfare bill), and just overall framing his administrative objectives coherently and early enough.

Obama was elected in a time of radical economic upheaval and radical demands for a solution - he's given typical DLCocrat half-measures that tend to, if more than anything else, strengthen the increasingly hereditary plutocracy of America. I don't care for the arguments that another Republican might be let in in 2012 if Obama's challenged, the truth is that Obama will pave the way for back-to-back Republican Presidencies if he is not forced to correct his failures. The Democratic Party needs a primary challenge to Obama immediately to correct his path.

I would like, in esscence, to see something like a "draft David Swanson for 2012 movement", not so much in lieu that he'd beat Obama as it would pressure Obama leftwards.

EDIT: Oh, and because of how poorly designed the Stimulus Plan was, I think there is a half-decent chance that Obama's depressed the labour vote for decades and may very well have cost the Demoratic Party the House for a decade as well. Just another thing to consider when contemplating whether a primary challenge against Obama is worth it.

In several ways we may actually have had a more liberal government under John McCain than we've seen under Obama, so I suppose there's nothing to lose. I doubt that a Romney administration would be any worse than Obama, though I'm not sure about the social conservative candidates like Huckabee and Palin.

The best suboptimal situation one could hope for would be a vicious primary feud between Romney and Palin, where Palin goes very meanspirited against Romney from the hard right (RomneyCare being a frontal issue) and Romney, in turn, enlists the help of businesses that oppose Blue Laws to tar the crap out of Palin. Out of this, Romney would emerge the winner, facing an Obama who's been humbled by a centre-left primary challenge

Obama is essentially unbeatable in a primary besides from MAYBE Hillary Clinton as it is now and god help us if that happens. The black vote is too influential in the democratic primary and will never abandon Obama.

I just hope Palin doesn't run but I'm not counting on it. Why can't see just go away?

I see vary little merit in your claims. Assuming (which, perhaps, isn't too much of a stretch) that primary votes will occur along racialized lines and further assuming (a bit more of a stretch) that no African American or Hispanic American activist figure will decide to run against Obama from the Left in a primary, you're still left with the stark reality that the people who vote in primaries tend to be the more activist members of a party. Assuming that a lot of the more activist centre-left progressives who'll turn out in the primaries will have their fair share grieviences, the primary could be slightly competitive. And keep in mind the point isn't winning, the point is showing Obama the power of the activist, netroots base, and making it clear that they are an invaluable resource. The point wouldn't be defeating Obama, it'd be getting a primary race close enough to humble him.

I have my doubts anybody credible will even run against Obama in the primary now. Most on the left will probably be more afraid of losing in the general than trying teach Obama a lesson. Obama's approval ratings amongst Democrats is still in the 80s. Polls have Obama beating Hilary by 31% and Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders by nearly 60%.

One must always be awware of the tension between King Log and King Stork. But it is hard to see how any recent presidential hoopeful could be much worse than King Turkey.

You never heard of George McGovern?

How many terms was Giorgio prexy?

You ever heard of switching veeps midway through the campaign (with negative press over the first VP's trials of electroshock therapy as a treatment of clinical depression), a background of radical left terroristic activity still in people's minds, or just poor campaigning? Advocating for a reduction in military spending when America's still in the Cold War is very different from advocating for a reduction in military spending when "DEBT IS DESTROYING THE USA" is the prevailing media narrative, by the way.

I actually wouldn't see Obama lose a primary, the only person that would have a prayer of challenging him successfully at this point would be Hillary Clinton.

I don't think Obama will have a second term unless he can go to the middle like Bill Clinton did and I don't see him capable of doing that because he's an ideologue and not very pragmatic.

Also people who think Sarah Palin couldn't beat Obama should look at the election between Carter and Reagan. The Democrats thought Reagan couldn't beat Carter, but Carter was defeated in a landslide.

To the chagrin and amazement of NDP types I knew.

Quite.

To the chagrin and amazement of the entire civilized world.

What an introduction to Voodoo Economics that was.

Don't be so sure. Obama would sell his wife Michelle and his two kids to stay in power.

ruveyn

Maybe he would do that to hang onto power but he wouldn't compromise his far left ideology. I would suspect he would try to rig the vote before he compromises on ideology.