Posted on 01/04/2015 5:35:56 PM PST by SeekAndFind
President Obama is likely to leave office with one of the lowest approval ratings in American history — primarily because of his dogged insistence on dragging the country as far left as he can in both foreign and domestic affairs.
Nominating a first-term senator from Massachusetts such as Elizabeth Warren, whose shrill pronunciamentos mark her even further to the left than Obama, likely would relegate the Democratic Party to the political sidelines for at least two decades.
And with Hillary Clinton now moving leftward and endorsing Obama’s major diplomatic and economic initiatives to counter Warren, the Democrats seem hell-bent on committing on-camera suicide.
At this moment, one of those two women appears the only Democrat with a good shot at the nomination. Hillary remains well ahead in the polls, but Warren has emerged as the darling of the ultra-liberal left, which — after last fall’s congressional elections — may well be the dominant force in the Democratic Party.
Although Clinton continues to enjoy a strong lead among Democratic voters, recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News polling shows she’s fast losing support among white, working class voters.
Nowhere is this erosion more evident than in Clinton’s adopted state of Arkansas, where Democratic office holders held a lock on voter majorities as recently as five years ago.
The Republican Party’s near-landslide sweep of Congress last November swept newcomer Tom Cotton into the Senate and veteran Asa Hutchinson into the governor’s office, leaving Arkansas without a single federal or state Democratic officeholder.
The WSJ/NBC poll showed support for Clinton among whites without college degrees ebbing as steadily as the evening tide.
In the summer of 2008, Clinton was viewed favorably by 43 percent of that group; by last month that number had fallen to 32 percent. The fallout means that she could easily lose most of the South, but also such populist industrial states as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Although Warren has made herself the darling of progressives by constantly bashing Wall Street and big banks, it’s hard to see how the Harvard professor’s brand of passionate stridency can play well beyond the confines of her native state.
By the fall of 2016, indeed, both Clinton and Warren may well be spent forces and mainstream Democrats could be looking for an experienced moderate — one who as president could practice the seemingly lost political art of compromise with the Republican majority on Capitol Hill.
The one Democratic candidate who fits that bill is former U.S. Sen. James Webb of Virginia, a combat-decorated Marine who served as President Reagan’s Navy secretary. Webb has voiced forceful opposition to U.S. interventions in Iraq and Libya and has railed against the corruption of Wall Street and the shrinking of the middle class under Obama’s presidency.
Webb’s remarks have drawn plaudits from such liberal pundits as Al Hunt and Mark Shields. And his background as a wounded veteran with Scotch-Irish working class-roots and an economic populist, almost certainly would appeal to blue-collar, middle-income voters likely to exhibit stay-at-home disdain for the likes of Hillary and “Fighting Liz” Warren.
It may be a long-shot, but there’s a growing feeling among Washington insiders that by mid-summer Jim Webb may well be sprinting into the lead for the Democratic nomination.
-- Whitt Flora, an independent journalist, is a former chief congressional correspondent for Aviation & Space Technology Magazine and a former White House correspondent for the Columbus Dispatch.
I recommend Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. They will give the Democrats what they really want!
Seriously though, Jim Web will probably be the LEAST HARMFUL of the bunch.
Well, if they really want a cagey but ruthless ‘moderate’, they can nominate Andrew Cuomo.
Ms. Flora, “Scotch” is a drink.
Mr. Webb will have to avoid Arkancide.
Evan Bayh bailed at the right time and would also be a good ten election candidate. However, the McGovern rules for delegate selection make either an unlikely candidate
“At this moment, one of those two women appears the only Democrat with a good shot at the nomination. Hillary remains well ahead in the polls, but Warren has emerged as the darling of the ultra-liberal left, which — after last fall’s congressional elections — may well be the dominant force in the Democratic Party.”
These two hags have no shot at winning. The days of an “affirmative action” President are over. The experiment was a miserable failure and to try it again, this time with a women will lead to the same result.
I can see a Jim Webb/Julian Castro ticket. That might be the rats best shot.
I don’t think Webb could possibably be nominated. I am with proxy_user, comment 2, Clinton / Sanders in 16!
This quote from Jim Webb will kill his chances before they begin..... “There is a place for women in our military, but not in combat. And their presence at institutions dedicated to the preparation of men for combat command is poisoning that preparation. By attempting to sexually sterilize the Naval Academy environment in the name of equality, this country has sterilized the whole process of combat leadership training, and our military forces are doomed to suffer the consequences.”........with luck they are stuck with Hillary
Uh...Warren / Sanders in 16!
Well the author is correct the Hillary and Warren are odious even to the moderate dem voter...
At least Jim Webb doesn’t hate our country....
They should nominate him but they won’t.
The Democrats are likely to nominate another leftist which will help to accelerate white flight from the party.
Jim Webb could beat Jeb Bush but the Democrats would rather be dead than moderate their views.
It seems the lessons of the past year haven’t yet sunk home with them.
Oh please!......
It’s Obama thinking all over again. He’s generally still an unknown (even to himself). He can’t hold a job because he bores easily, and the only thing he’s consistent with is being pugnacious.
Also, and this is an important also, couple his fiction writing with a picture of him with his current wife, and the creepy factor is just way to high.
All that said, I hope they nominate him.
hy not Hitler’s lost grandson?
The Democrats have a chance to elect an authentic Communist next year because the Republicans will nominate Bush or Romney or long shot Christie and the Republican nominee will then take a dive for the election. The Democrats will win the election with anydamnbody they choose so they will use the chance to elect a real dictator, if, that is, we don’t already have one.
Don’t forget today’s Democratic Party is all about symbolism over substance. They have to nominate a woman so it’s either Witch Hillary or Fraudahontas. Jim Webb is a White male. That party doesn’t want a White guy getting their nomination for president. While I agree with the author’s premise, it’s not going to happen. If Webb were to run, and he was becoming a threat to Hillary, the Clinton mob will dig up the dirt on him, and destroy his candidacy.
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