Adrift without Bill and Barack
National Review,
by
Jim Geraghty
Original Article
Posted By: MissMolly,
3/5/2020 4:52:28 AM
The Democratic candidate won the popular vote in six of the past seven elections. But those seven elections generated just four Democratic victories by two men, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, who are almost universally recognized as immensely talented politicians and campaigners. This Democratic presidential primary demonstrates what the party is like when it doesn’t have one of those larger-than-life charismatic figures to unite everyone: angry, bitter, and deeply divided on basic concepts of governance and the Constitution.
After Super Tuesday, the party appears to be begrudgingly uniting behind Joe Biden — the consensus choice of last resort. Bernie Sanders made it clear
Reply 1 - Posted by:
franq 3/5/2020 6:10:47 AM (No. 337272)
"...larger-than-life charismatic figures..." my eye. Without the MSM's help, Dollar Bill would be managing a used car lot in Arkansas and Baraq would be skulking around Chicago.
29 people like this.
Good old 43% Bill Clinton who needed Ross Perot and the media to slip in the fire exit of the White House - similar to his means of entry to the Airport Motor Lodge (rents by the hour).
Dear Jim: how did immensely talented and campaigner do on behalf of his 'wife' in 2016?
9 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Scrubber 3/5/2020 7:11:38 AM (No. 337321)
Why is it absolutely required to say anything good about The Won? He is not a talented politician, he got where he got because he’s black. He’s not a great orator, he can read a teleprompter without which he’s a mumbling stumbling embarrassment. And on and on.
20 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
jeffkinnh 3/5/2020 7:17:43 AM (No. 337325)
"Without a charismatic unifier": a facile liar who cons voters into voting for a destructive dem agenda.
BJ Clintoon was lucky because the Republicans grabbed control of Congress after Hillary's assault on healthcare. It pulled her off her path to power which created a life long sense of resentment. BJ was also smart enough to triangulate with Republicans and moderated his economic policy, which lead to success for the Country. His personal failings and assaults on women have now made him a political pariah to many dems.
BO was a liar from the day he opened his mouth on a political stage. He has a bigger ego and is far dumber than BJ so things didn't work out as well for him. He has a record of incompetence, corruption, and failure.
Dems ARE an "an instinctively divided party". The identity groups are often at cross purposes. The "leader" has to not only con the public, he has to con the elements of the party into thinking that the compromise he proposes is necessary. Over time, that leads to no one getting what they want or were promised. So what are the "leaders" getting out of it? Power and personal wealth. Although they publically rail against the rich, they all exit politics as multimillionaires.
Meanwhile, resentment has built up in the party factions. The less facile liars, like Hillary, use corrupt power to force them into line. It usually doesn't work that well. Part of the current dem resentment is due to BO coming in on such a high. NOW, NOW, NOW was the dems time. NOW each identity group would get what it had been waiting for. Then BO's support in Congress was lost in 2010 and all the dems had left to show for BO's triumph was a raggedy health care plan and the Dodd-Frank permanent economic malaise bill. Nothing ever trickled down to the identity groups.
The party extremists are in no mood for compromise. That is why all the dem candidates are trying to ride the wave of their anger and extremism into the nomination. Except, as we get closer to November, the dems usually try to dial back the insanity to appeal to the more moderate general election voter. It isn't working. The Bernie Bros are not going to be dialed back. The establishment has rallied around a non compos mentis Biden but that is a finger in the dike of a roiling party. It's like they are trying to hold back Hurricane Katrina flooding with a bucket.
The article in enamored of the charisma of BJ and BO, con men extraordinaire. Given what we know about them now, that is a pathetic cry to be conned again. The dem party is and has been corrupt and incompetent. Hoping for a better class of crook to emerge seems like a poor way to lead a great Country.
21 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Sully 3/5/2020 7:44:29 AM (No. 337350)
What Gheraghty calls "charisma" I call media handling. Are you kidding? The MSM wrapped Clinton and Oblabber in flack jackets while beating the crap out of their opponents.
Each was elected for one reason: the economy crapped out under their predecessor.
Each was reelected for one reason: the economy avoided recession in their first term. Largely, BTW, bc their Repub opposition took over the Congress.
This is our reality.
9 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Clinger 3/5/2020 8:15:12 AM (No. 337380)
Who the hell do you think ran them aground to begin with?
2 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Strike3 3/5/2020 8:34:20 AM (No. 337401)
Obama is not an immensely talented anything. His timing just happened to coincide with the fit of insanity that gripped the country after George W. Bush left it in a mess. Hope 'n Change could have been translated into anything from twelve years of actual education to a grilled cheese for lunch.
6 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
RuckusTom 3/5/2020 8:37:48 AM (No. 337405)
"The Democratic candidate won the popular vote in six of the past seven elections."
Let that sink in. There are certain states / regions of the country that are gone. Think a republican will ever win the popular vote in California again (another Nixon or Reagan)?
3 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Venturer 3/5/2020 8:48:49 AM (No. 337416)
Bill Clinton was a politician.
Obama was black.
That is what got each of them elected.
9 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
kennedylaw 3/5/2020 9:16:25 AM (No. 337460)
The Democratic candidate won a MAJORITY (more than 50%) of the popular vote in only two of the past seven elections. In four of the past seven elections they won a plurality of the popular vote, meaning that a majority of the voters voted for someone else. Bill Clinton was first elected with only 43% of the popular vote. Obama was the first and only Democratic candidate to win a majority of the popular vote since LBJ in 1964. Before that, you have to go back to FDR.
3 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
Laotzu 3/5/2020 9:20:40 AM (No. 337467)
You can't win an election without charisma (or color) when you don't the facts on your side.
2 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
bpl40 3/5/2020 10:19:59 AM (No. 337531)
Their successors are just as dishonest, fraudulent and corrupt. They are just not as good at it.
2 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
Highlander 3/5/2020 11:13:20 AM (No. 337592)
“The momentum has suddenly shifted to Biden — Obama’s running mate and a poor man’s Bill Clinton. This post-Obama, post-Clinton Democratic Party is going to go through some serious growing pains.”
Substitute the words, “growing pains” for “death throes.”
3 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
RockiesFan 3/5/2020 11:38:43 AM (No. 337624)
Annoying republican establishment types continue to slobber over BJ and BO. I think an argument can be made that BJ started and BO almost thoroughly destroyed the party with their lurch to the left. BJ destroyed the "morality" of the party and BO dragged them left creating the opening for PDJT (with A LOT of help from the Bushies). Trump's razor sharp wit and genius strategy that turns practically every problem into a way to expose the left is beautiful to watch. Donald Trump is a one-in-a-lifetime leader. Enjoy this, it won't happen again.
5 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
hurricanegirl 3/5/2020 12:57:17 PM (No. 337698)
At some point, the Dims will find their "new Messiah," and we'd better be ready for it!
2 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
DVC 3/5/2020 1:06:16 PM (No. 337702)
Up Schiff creek with a Lying Dog Faced Pony Soldier holding the only paddle.
1 person likes this.
Anyone ever see Obama throw a ball or swing a golf club? He never accomplished anything beyond rolling a sweet fatty blunt!
1 person likes this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
Lucky5 3/5/2020 2:09:19 PM (No. 337764)
FTA-Republicans are still hoping that someday they’ll find “another Ronald Reagan.” (Donald Trump “united” the party in an unusual way — he brought in a lot of populists who previously didn’t like Republicans and drove out a lot of suburbanites. The Republicans who wouldn’t unite under Trump are mostly independents now.)
That is such BS. The National Review-why do I bother?
3 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
kono 3/5/2020 7:14:46 PM (No. 338009)
5 - "Each was elected for one reason: the economy crapped out under their predecessor."
Bubba made it in because Ross Perot divided the Republican vote. Both times.
0 people like this.
Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "MissMolly"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)