How Obama Has Fundamentally Transformed American Politics

Townhall.com ^ | September 16, 2015 | Michael Barone

[Kaslin]

In this presidential cycle, voters in both parties, to the surprise of the punditocracy, are rejecting experienced political leaders. They're willfully suspending disbelief in challengers who would have been considered laughable in earlier years.

Polls show more Republicans preferring three candidates who have never held elective office over 14 candidates who have served a combined total of 150 years as governors or in Congress. Most Democrats are declining to favor a candidate who spent eight years in the White House and the Senate and four as secretary of state.

Psephologists of varying stripes attribute this discontent to varying causes. Conservatives blame insufficiently aggressive Republican congressional leaders. Liberals blame Hillary Clinton's closeness to plutocrats and her home email system.

But in our system the widespread rejection of experienced leaders ultimately comes from dismay at the leader in the White House. In 1960 Richard Nixon, after eight years as vice president and six in Congress, campaigned on the slogan "Experience counts." No one is running on that theme this year.

Nixon could, because over the preceding quarter-century the majority of Americans mostly approved of the performance of incumbent presidents. Presidents Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower still look pretty good more than 50 years later.

Barack Obama doesn't. His deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes recently said that the president's nuclear weapons deal with Iran was as important an achievement of his second term as Obamacare was of the first. Historians may well agree.

These two policy achievements have many things in common.

Both were unpopular when proposed and still are now. In March 2010 Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that people would know, and presumably like, what was in the bill after it was passed. But most Americans didn't like it then and most don't today, five and a half years later. As for the Iran deal, Pew Research reports it has only 21 percent approval today, much lower than Obamacare in 2010.

Both Obamacare and the Iran deal were bulldozed through Congress through legislative legerdemain. Democrats passed Obamacare by using the temporary 60-vote Senate supermajority gained through a Minnesota recount and the wrongful prosecution of Sen. Ted Stevens. After they lost the 60th vote, they resorted to a dubious legislative procedure.

This year Obama labeled the Iran treaty an executive agreement, and Congress concocted a process requiring only a one-third-plus-one rather than a two-thirds vote for approval. Only 38 percent of members of Congress supported it. Many, such as House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, did so only after saying that they never would have accepted it in negotiations.

In 2008 Obama promised he would "fundamentally transform" America, and Obamacare and the Iran deal are indeed fundamental transformations of policy --transformations most Americans oppose.

Obamacare assumed that financial crisis and recession would make most voters supportive of, or amenable to, bigger government. But as National Review's Ramesh Ponnuru points out, polling doesn't show that. Obama assumed that if America could "extend a hand" to such propitiated enemies as the mullahs of Iran, they would become friends with us. Most Americans think that's delusional. No wonder voters are angry.

Republican voters are frustrated and angry because for six years they have believed they have public opinion on their side, but their congressional leaders have failed to prevail on high visibility issues. Their successes (clamping down on domestic discretionary spending) have been invisible. They haven't made gains through compromise because Obama, unlike his two predecessors, lacks both the inclination and ability to make deals.

So Republicans who imposed harsh litmus tests in previous presidential cycles (like asking candidates if they've ever supported a tax increase, or if they've ever wavered in their opposition to abortion) are flocking to Donald Trump, a candidate who would fail every one of them. They are paying little attention to candidates -- Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, Chris Christie, Bobby Jindal -- who advance serious proposals to change public policy.

In polls, Democratic voters have stayed loyal to the president. But to listen to their candidates (and maybe-candidate Joe Biden) you would think we are in our seventh year of oppression by a right-wing administration. You don't hear much about the virtues of Obamacare or the Iran deal -- or "choice."

Most Americans hoped the first black president would improve race relations. Now most Americans believe they have gotten worse.

And so a president who came to office with relatively little experience has managed to tarnish experience, incumbency and institutions: a fundamental transformation indeed.

[Arthur McGowan]

I would like to hear the candidates asked what their plan is to combat voter fraud.

Are they aware that more than thirty years ago, the RNC signed a consent decree BARRING THE RNC FROM MAKING ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT VOTE FRAUD?

[ETL]

"In 2008 Obama promised he would "fundamentally transform" America, and Obamacare and the Iran deal are indeed fundamental transformations of policy --transformations most Americans oppose. "

He promised "fundamental transformation", aka "Change"...

"This president can be a transformative leader (he has that potential in my view), but only if he embraces and fights for a transformative agenda."--Sam Webb, Chairman Communist Party USA

Obama State of the Union: He got the ball rolling:
http://cpusa.org/obama-state-of-the-union-he-got-the-ball-rolling
_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

"Barack Obama told supporters that
'change has come to America' as he
claimed victory in a historic presidential election."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/election.president/index.html
_____________________________________________

A Landslide Mandate For Change

A breakthrough election
Congratulations on an extraordinary history making election!

(snip)

The tears of joy we all shared as crowds gathered to watch the election results here and throughout the world dramatize the new moment we are in.

http://cpusa.org/a-landslide-mandate-for-change-report-to-the-national-committee-meeting-11-15-08/
_____________________________________________

July 1, 2009...

Change is Here, Change is Coming
--Sam Webb, National Chair, Communist Party, USA

http://cpusa.org/change-is-here-change-is-coming/
_____________________________________________

Jan 29, 2010:

Obama State of the Union: He got the ball rolling
http://cpusa.org/obama-state-of-the-union-he-got-the-ball-rolling

[Nip]

Almost correct. And there is a lot of bad memories in the word almost.

I haven’t voted for a Presidential candidate or a Presidential reelection since Reagan - that’s 30 years ago. He was the last President who gave me a reason to vote for him; ever since then my vote has been against the other candidate.

Unfortunately, I am not alone in this.

I guess Herman Cain said it best when he ran for President. When asked how he expected to win without any prior experience in politics he came back with - “You have been governed by experienced politicians for the last eight years. How has that worked out for you”.

Like the period 1860 - 1866 (Civil War era) our political leadership and societal elites are in politics for their own advancement. And like then it has gotten so bad that they can no longer hide it. It has become, like it or not, “We the People” against our own political and societal leaders.

[Maceman]

I would like to hear the candidates asked what their plan is to combat voter fraud.

Well, as the White House and Democrat politicians consistently tell us, there is no such thing as voter fraud.

[DJ Frisat]

"They're willfully suspending disbelief in challengers who would have been considered laughable in earlier years."

Uh, don't look now, but this started in earnest in 2008, and continued in 2012. Take a look in the White House...

[Verginius Rufus]

Barone leaves out part of the reason for the weakness of the Republicans in Congress: Obama's nuclear option. He doesn't have to make deals because he can always shut down the government if they don't cave, knowing that the media will blame the Republicans for the shutdown and the public will be fooled into thinking that is the case.

The shutdowns actually do little harm but Obama knows how to use them to inflict pain or at least inconvenience on the public (like shutting down the WWII monument) and the media will give those incidents a lot of publicity while making sure the public thinks it's all the Republicans' fault.

[Diamond]

Are they aware that more than thirty years ago, the RNC signed a consent decree BARRING THE RNC FROM MAKING ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT VOTE FRAUD?

Got a link?

Cordially,

[DungeonMaster]

Could it be Republican politicians who have cause the change?

[DaveA37]

“How Obama Has Fundamentally Transformed American Politics”............

Not only our politics, he has almost completely destroyed the entire country. Words cannot describe how I despise that petulant bastard child.

[onedoug]

“I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore.”

[Kaslin]

Unbelievable. How could they be so stupid?

[livius]

And so a president who came to office with relatively little experience has managed to tarnish experience, incumbency and institutions: a fundamental transformation indeed.

Very well put! the other curious thing is that he has managed to tarnish the whole process and create in voters the desire for a dictatorial executive who will simply impose his will without bothering with the elected representatives of the people. Both Trump and Sanders promise this l'etat c'est moi approach, and both of them are very statist (and libertarian in social issues). Obama with his cult of personality and his arrogant ignorance has completely corrupted the American electorate.

[Aevery_Freeman]

Psephologist

Wow, what a great word. Never seen it before.

Problem is most of our pundits are psephocephalic (rocks in their heads).

[Little Ray]

And a judge comes out of retirement every year to renew and the SCOTUS recently upheld it.

The reason is that there is “no widespread evidence of vote fraud” is that the Democrats don’t want to investigate it and the ‘Pubbies are not allowed to investigate it.

[Little Ray]

It is absolutely true. Here’s your link:

http://www.redstate.com/diary/roetenks/2012/12/03/obvious-voter-fraud-spawned-by-consent-decree/

[ETL]

The shutdowns actually do little harm but Obama knows how to use them to inflict pain or at least inconvenience on the public (like shutting down the WWII monument) and the media will give those incidents a lot of publicity while making sure the public thinks it's all the Republicans' fault.

I don't think Obama is smart enough to make most decisions on his own. I think he's an empty suit who has everything prepared for him by his hardcore leftist handlers, thus the constant need for teleprompters, and also the reason for many of his golf outings and vacations: while his commie handlers are figuring out his next moves and what he should say to the country, they tell him to 'get lost' for awhile.

[central_va]

A "professional" pundit writes an analysis on Trump and his phenomenal rise in the polls and he fails to mention immigration and trade.

They still don't get it. As out of touch as you think the establishment is, it is even worse than that.

[txhurl]

That’s why you’d see Patriot Katherine Englebrecht of TrueTheVote, who was harassed by *4* different Fed groups in the IRS/Lerner persecution so angry when being interviewed by FNC. Do they still have her on? I chucked ‘em six months ago.

[cymbeline]

“Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, Chris Christie, Bobby Jindal — who advance serious proposals to change public policy”

It’s one thing to advance “serious” proposals, but do we believe they can get them done? Trump’s gives us a sense that he can get things done. That’s a biggie that separates Trump from the others. Trump calls it energy.