Posted on 11/21/2011 10:55:02 AM PST by Kaslin
At this point, President Obama has got to be sick of hearing about buyer's remorse from Democratic voters; and I'm sure Hillary Clinton is getting sick of hearing about why she should run against Obama in 2012, but the calls for Obama to step down and for Clinton to step up are only getting louder. Democratic pollsters Doug Schoen and Patrick Caddell have said Obama should step aside before, and they did it again over the weekend in the Wall Street Journal.
He should abandon his candidacy for re-election in favor of a clear alternative, one capable not only of saving the Democratic Party, but more important, of governing effectively and in a way that preserves the most important of the president's accomplishments. He should step aside for the one candidate who would become, by acclamation, the nominee of the Democratic Party: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Never before has there been such an obvious potential successor—one who has been a loyal and effective member of the president's administration, who has the stature to take on the office, and who is the only leader capable of uniting the country around a bipartisan economic and foreign policy.
Certainly, Mr. Obama could still win re-election in 2012. Even with his all-time low job approval ratings (and even worse ratings on handling the economy) the president could eke out a victory in November. But the kind of campaign required for the president's political survival would make it almost impossible for him to govern—not only during the campaign, but throughout a second term.
Put simply, it seems that the White House has concluded that if the president cannot run on his record, he will need to wage the most negative campaign in history to stand any chance. With his job approval ratings below 45% overall and below 40% on the economy, the president cannot affirmatively make the case that voters are better off now than they were four years ago. He—like everyone else—knows that they are worse off.
Even though Mrs. Clinton has expressed no interest in running, and we have no information to suggest that she is running any sort of stealth campaign, it is clear that she commands majority support throughout the country. A CNN/ORC poll released in late September had Mrs. Clinton's approval rating at an all-time high of 69%—even better than when she was the nation's first lady. Meanwhile, a Time Magazine poll shows that Mrs. Clinton is favored over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney by 17 points (55%-38%), and Texas Gov. Rick Perry by 26 points (58%-32%).
But this is about more than electoral politics. Not only is Mrs. Clinton better positioned to win in 2012 than Mr. Obama, but she is better positioned to govern if she does. Given her strong public support, she has the ability to step above partisan politics, reach out to Republicans, change the dialogue, and break the gridlock in Washington.
So, say Clinton does decide to jump in the race, which is highly unlikely, ObamaCare is still off the table for debate if Romney gets the GOP nomination; remember HillaryCare anyone?
Not a chance. Hillary would not accept the veep spot.
Folks should be aware that Doug Schoen is one of the principles in what is called “Americans Elect,” a phony Democrat astro-turf attempt to peel off votes from whomever the Republicans nominate.
The effort is almost certainly being funded by George Soros.
“who is the only leader capable of uniting the country around a bipartisan economic and foreign policy.”
Damn. I HATE it when my head explodes. Gotta clean up now...
Anyone think the Mediacrats would ask Hillary which department heads would she get rid of?
Yes.
Anyone think the Mediacrats would ask Hillary which department heads would she get rid of?
Iron a pantsuit Hillary, you’re up.
Of course, Polk had promised to serve only one term—it’s how he got the Dem presidential nomination in the first place (the Dems were divided into two factions, neither one of which could get the 2/3 of the vote or whatever it was to nominate someone, and both factions agreed that it was better to nominate a compromise candidate that would allow them to gight it out again in four years).
And Polk also died shortly afterwards, so he wouldn’t have lived out a second term anyhow.
There have been other one-termers by choice (Pierce, Buchanan and Hayes); I’m not including those who also served part of another president’s term, such as TR and Coolidge), but Polk is the only one who would be considered a great president. If Obama doesn’t run again, it would be more of a Buchanan thing.
And Palin is Cain's Veep.
That's why she didn't run for president. It was decided this would be a better way to go against Obama/Hitlery - head to head.
Of course, the real irony is that the Rat ticket was supposed to be Hillary/Obama in 2008, and now it's going to be reversed for 2012.
Whatever. They'll still lose. The communist totalitarian machine is going down.
He could quit today and make a lot of people very happy.
But Rutherford B. Hayes looks like he fits the description of choosing not to continue. It was a campaign pledge of his to only serve one term.
My guess is Pat is still a sounding board for the ( yes it is an oxymoron) common sense Dems, and he is relaying to the world what he hears and that is what is scary to the campaign staffs at various levels, but the DNC? They are deaf to what he says at their own peril.
Love to see his use an old phrase "Rolodex", I love to know who is calling him and venting their spleens.....
He will never be prosecuted for anything, ever. Ex-presidents get full salary and Secret Service protection, for life. Ex-president is just about as good a gig as there ever was. In a lotta countries, the ex-president has to worry about a firing squad, not in the USA. Thank goodness.
Pierce ran for re-election but was defeated in his primary.
Buchanan didn't appear to have a chance as the democratic party was splitting up 1860. He may have chosen not to run but the party was so splintered by the time his admin ended the following democratic convention resulted in a split in the group forming two separate conventions.
Hayes appear to actually have chosen by his own will not to run when he was in health and standing to have done so again.
Ex-presidents get full salary and Secret Service protection, for life.
- - - - -
Not any more:
Under the Former Presidents Act, each former president is paid a lifetime, taxable pension that is equal to the annual rate of basic pay for the head of an executive federal department — $199,700 in 2011 — the same annual salary paid to secretaries of the Cabinet agencies.
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepresidentandcabinet/a/presidentialpay.htm
In 1997, Congress enacted legislation (Public Law 103-329) that limits Secret Service protection for former presidents to 10 years after leaving office. Under this new law, individuals who are in office before January 1, 1997, will continue to receive Secret Service protection for their lifetime. Individuals elected to office after that time will receive protection for 10 years after leaving office. Therefore, President Clinton will be the last president to receive lifetime protection.
http://www.secretservice.gov/faq.shtml#faq9
Truman and Johnson.
Johnson run in the following terms presidential primary but withdrew after he was losing badly, following the New Hampshire primary.
You’re right, Pierce sought reelection, but lost in the Dem convention.
But Polk chose to keep his word and not seek reelection even before he became seriously ill.
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