Help Us Barack Obama ... You're Our Only Hope!
I’m always fascinated to hear opinions on domestic matters from the rest of the world. Earlier today, German news source Spiegel Online posted commentary discussing the mid-term elections as it pertains to President Obama’s culpability in the election’s outcome.
The substance of their reports suggests that several things contributed to the losses. First is that Obama became too detached and clinical which drove away the younger base that made all the difference in 2008. Second was that he was not able to distance himself from the people perceived as the source of our nation’s problems. And third, there was a belief that he bought into all the hype from the 2008 campaign and needed to be humble.
As a self-described ultra-liberal, I don’t agree in full that he should be blamed for the election. On the first point, there seems to be a belief that all of the people who initially rallied around him have been conned. That Obama was going to be some rousing leader that takes charge and bullies his way through problems.
The very nature of his campaign was about letting the masses do all the heavy lifting. In this case, young voters. If anything Obama should be considered naïve for assuming that the youth of our country would be willing to stick around and do the work needed to press congress into action. Instead, they behaved the way most of us expected and went back to their video games and iPhones, derailing all the momentum gained two years ago.
The second point I think is the issue that’s the most spot on, though I don’t think it’s fair to solely attribute it to Obama. The Democrats, as a whole, have been chronically guilty of allowing the other side to frame the debate. Assuming you would call any of that political conversation a debate. It really wasn’t even a conversation.
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