A job creation plan

Nick Kristof in the Times:

 

Whatever Obama puts at the top of his agenda will get crushed down by the right-wing scream machine. Any suggestion he makes to spend one rusty nickel on anything will get shouted off the stage.

Then after a month or so, Obama will abandon it altogether and apologize for hurting their feelings.

Eventually the right-wingers will be so impressed by this humble, selfless, conciliatory conduct they will all swing over to his side. That's the way it's supposed to work, right?

 

You skipped the part where he then offers them an alternative more conservative than even they were advocating for before it all started.

 

Yeah, that comes right after apologizing for hurting anyone's feelings (such as people who are never ever ever in a billion trillion megazillion years ever going to vote for him).

 

Then that is followed by a shrewd maneuver in which President Obama then endorses Perry/Bachmann/Romney/Beck/Limbaugh for president. Then tea partiers/rightwingers/Nugent fans will have to do the opposite of what the president wants, by voting for.....President Obama.

 

That might be his best shot to win at this point.

 

Perhaps. Though he could also win if Rick Perry or whoever the GOP nominates proves to be a poor candidate or campaigner.

Harry Reid had approval ratings in the 30s in Nevada when he ran for re-election last year. He won by more than 5 points because his opponent turned out to be a total tool.

 

I agree Suburbia that the president could get re-elected even in the face of a down economy. If he does lose, it would because a lot of people who voted for him last time sit out the election. I don't see many of them voting for Perry or Bachmann (I do believe there differences btwn Dems and Repubs) but to me not voting would be like voting for Perry or Bachmann. I know many lefties are hugely disappointed, angry even, with the president (a lot of that is unjustified) but would they really be happier with Perry or Bachmann or Rommey winning?

 

Obama still holds the trump cards of incumbency, solid organization skills and personal likability (he has a much larger gap between his personal approval rating and his job performance rating than most poiticians).

He's going to need every single one of them to win, because he's going to be facing a wildly different electoral environment this time around. 2008, following Bush, was like being a power hitter in 1990s Coors Field. 2012 will be like he was traded to Petco.