It’s Not the Shutdown Obama Feared, it is the Image of Hillary in the Rear View Mirror
If Hillary Clinton and President Obama resolved the rivalry between them, it makes no difference to the army of Hillary supporters who are in no mood to be nice. With Hillary’s impressive favorable approval ratings, in comparison to the dismal approval ratings of President Obama, Hillary supporters are asking "Does Obama Fear a Hillary Clinton Primary Challenge?
Hillary supporters never did get the proverbial "tingle" up their leg over President Obama’s victory, and they were ”not happy” about the way President Obama treated their candidate during the 2008 primaries.
The fallen Messiah has been in a deep sink hole for months, with recent polls showing that 23% of likely voters strongly approving of President Obama, while 37% strongly disapprove. At the same time, Hillary consistently enjoys high approval ratings. Hillary supporters want to know, does Hillary smell blood in the water? Only Hillary can stand between Obama and his lock on the 2012 Democratic Presidential nomination.
Complicating Obama's re-election bid is the Republican controlled House of Representatives with a voter mandate to cut spending. The Democratic controlled House and the Democratic controlled Senate failed to produce a fiscal budget last year. This happened under President Obama's watch, so he shares the blame for the embarrassing budget drama. By failing to produce a budget last year as they were required to do, Democrats, lead by President Obama, betrayed the trust of the American people.
President Obama understands the complexities of this equation and the public relations nightmare of a government shutdown. He has appeared to be involved in the debate, but not in the fight. In the process he has made himself a target of criticism by both parties. The public was frustrated and outraged over the budget impasse,and working families find it hard to understand why politicians in Washington behave like children with delinquent habits. It was Washington at its worst this week, and Democrats share the larger part of that blame. If they had done their job last year, this drama could have been avoided.
An incumbent President is rarely challenged by a member of his own party, unless there is a clear and present opportunity by a willing and able challenger. Hillary Clinton easily meets all the criteria to challenge Barack Obama. President Obama likely scored political points with lobbyists and big money supporters in this week's budget battle, but it was the American people who suffered through the stress of it all.
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