“Voters in the developed world are turning away from Democrats, Socialists, liberals and progressives.”
“Voters feel ever more estranged from government—and they associate Democrats with government.”
“If they are to win trust, and votes, Democrats must show they are as determined as the Tea Party movement to change the rules of the game."
“This distrust of government and politicians is unfolding as a full-blown crisis of legitimacy [and] sidelines Democrats and liberalism."
Greenberg says that his public opinion research now reveals that voters believe, “Government rushes to help the irresponsible and does little for the responsible."
To win, Democrats must “advocate policies that would control the borders and address problems of undocumented workers,” and voters want to “see strong enforcement at the border and in the workplace, and the expulsion of troublesome undocumented immigrants."
“Finally, progressives have to be serious about reducing the country’s long-term deficits” because “the deficit matters to people and has real meaning and consequences.”
To recap, after analyzing his reams of public opinion research, President Clinton’s pollster just advised the most progressive President in American history to mimic the Tea Party’s resolve, stop government from rewarding the irresponsible over the responsible, crack down on illegal immigration and get tough on border enforcement, stop illegal immigrants from being hired over legal citizens, and deport violent or law-breaking illegal immigrants, and to top it all off, Obama and the Democrats should stop the government’s profligate spending spree and bring down deficits.
Crickets chirping.
In sum, to have any shot of surviving the political onslaught of the rage roiling in the land, the leftist pollster, writing in the New York Times, has just pleaded with Obama to morph himself into a Tea Party conservative.
Whatever one thinks of Greenberg’s progressive political views, he is a seasoned and accomplished pollster who, along with James Carville, Dick Morris, Paul Begala, George Stephanopoulos and others, successfully navigated Bill Clinton to two presidential victories. Put simply, Greenberg knows of which he speaks. And what his soundings reveal spells potential disaster for Democrats heading into the next election cycle.
Why? Because the more Obama and Democrats attempt to tack back to the political center, the deeper the erosion will be among their progressive base. Indeed, already, Obama has seen sizable losses in support among his liberal base, and there are already signs that Obama’s backers may be experiencing “donor fatigue.”
Recall again that Bill Clinton’s reelection was made possible when Dick Morris urged him to sign the Republican’s welfare reform bill so that he could “end welfare as we know it,” as Clinton famously put it.
It’s hard to imagine Obama willfully undergoing a similar course correction and advocating and passing the kinds of center-right policy proposals Greenberg’s polls and focus groups demonstrate the voting public demands. Indeed, given the disenchantment among his progressive base, along with the economic free fall black Americans are presently suffering as the nation witnesses the disappearance of the black middle class, every inch that Obama’s campaign dares to move to the center will further infuriate and alienate the dwindling vestiges of support he presently enjoys among his progressive base.
Much can and will change between now and November 2012. However, when a successful Democratic strategist all but urges the most far Left president in American history to don a three-cornered hat and join the Tea Party policy parade of fiscal discipline and border enforcement, you know there’s serious trouble in progressive paradise.
Happy Birthday Mr. President!!
The libtards will try to use the crises as a justification for more statism and socialism.They are stuck on stupid.
Maybe even the RINOs can masticate a bit on this and perhaps, even strap on a pair.
That is delicious.
You could tell the other day during his speech after signing the bill that he was trying out some new material.
“Washington is broken” will be his ham handed effort moving forward.
Beautiful!!!
Awesome, awesome read.
Oooooooooooooooooooo
Ouch. That’s gonna leave a hellova mark.
Oblidiot is TOAST.
2012 is going to be a landmark year. Unfortunately we are gonna have to live through this stock market tanking, and what is going to come tomorrow. And the next day.
Oh my goodness, the power shift that is oging to come in November 2012 is going to be monumental.
Bump for tonight
Close Mr. Greenburg. Voters believe Government rushes to help the irresponsible while SCREWING the responsible and calling them names like terrorist to boot.
Oh, he will. Obama will be sounding more of the centrist, balanced act with phrases that had been focus group tested.
And some of the Indies that voted for him in 2008 will turn back to him, no doubt. No one wants to completely own his previous mistake, and they’ll be grabbing at any straw.
Look, if anybody can be fooled with jus “Hope and Change”, don’t hold out too much hope for intelligence from them.
Government rushes to help the irresponsible and does little for the responsible
This is the statement of the day.
Rats only know two rules: Raise taxes and increase the size of government.
This is pure Bill Clinton trying knock Obama out and get Hill the nomination.
marking
If the "answer" is for Obama to genuinely move to the right-- then that is a repudiation of his actual governance thus far. In other words, he got it wrong.
If the idea is just to appear to adopt the Tea Party's ethos, then that is more bait-and-switch lying. It's more "how can we fool the masses?"
So which is it Greenberg?
I despise these people. I guess that Car-VILE got it wrong when he predicted 40 years of Democrat ascendancy.
Frankly, I don't see how he's gonna win the Independents back to him. Most of them assuaged their 'white guilt' in the election of 2008, and won't feel that tug again. And too many of them have either lost jobs themselves, or know someone who lost a job, and is having trouble finding another one. They can look at the economy in 2009, the year after Bush, and in 2012, and will see that Obama can't blame Bush, anymore, for the problems Obama himself, and his policies, have caused.