A New York Times article today detailed a change of heart for the “hope and change” fanatics of 2008, specifically that liberals are finally beginning to tire of President Obama.
The article, written by Jonathan Martin and Julie Hirschfeld Davis, writes:
Bracing for a difficult election in just over a week, when they could lose control of the Senate, Democrats exasperated with the White House are already moving to pin blame on President Obama…
Who can blame them? In the easiest game ever of “pin the failure on the donkey,” there’s no shortage of fodder to exhaust Democrats with the President’s performance.
This past year alone, the country’s been victim to a mismanaged IRS targeting scandal, a crippling taxpayer burden in the form of Obamacare, empty threats to ISIS and now a poorly handled Ebola response.
The President seems desperate for the spotlight, as he’s said that while he may not be on the ballot (what a shame,) his policies are. This rhetoric doesn’t sit well with campaign operatives.
Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist, said he was puzzled over how a president who so appreciates the power of words could have been so careless.
“This is Politics 101: Always make it about the voters, not about yourself,” Mr. Begala said. “I don’t understand it. It was an unforced error at a time we can ill afford them.”
This sentiment isn’t restricted just to Democrats, however. Earlier this month, an ABC News/Washington Post poll pegged the President’s approval at the lowest point since he’s been in office.
As this plays out on the campaign trail, Democratic candidates are running away full speed from the outstretched arms of the White House, who appears to be more of a hindrance than help. In Maryland, exasperated voters got up and left the arena while the President spoke.
The Times article continues,
Yet at times, Mr. Obama’s actions and those of his political team have seemed off key to the point of damaging to fellow Democrats. Many of them cringed this month when the first lady, Michelle Obama, traveled to Iowa to campaign for Bruce Braley, a Democratic candidate for the Senate, in one of the nation’s closest races and referred to him repeatedly as “Bruce Bailey.” She returned to the state on Tuesday and joked about the mistake, but when the White House distributed the transcript of her remarks, it referred to Mr. Braley as a candidate for governor.
While supporting President Obama was once cool and trendy, the fad seems to have dissipated as voters, candidates and operatives alike now realize the bad bill of goods they were sold. As the President meets a dead end on the campaign trail, perhaps he can find his way back to the White House and work to repair some of the damage he’s caused.