Patterico's Pontifications

2/15/2010

Another Obama Loss

Filed under: Obama,Politics — DRJ @ 2:47 pm

[Guest post by DRJ]

First President Obama campaigned in New Jersey and Virginia but his Democratic Gubernatorial candidates lost. Then he traveled to Massachusetts to appear with Martha Coakley’s Senate campaign, but she also lost. Now we learn Obama unsuccessfully tried to talk Indiana Senator Evan Bayh out of retiring:

“US President Barack Obama suffered another setback Monday as a fifth Democratic senator, centrist heavyweight Evan Bayh, decided not to run for re-election in dismay at the bitter political climate.

Obama, who reportedly tried to talk Bayh out of retiring, faces a looming Republican resurgence and risks watching strong majorities in Congress crumble in November mid-term elections, and with them his ambitious reform agenda.”

Doesn’t this make Obama 0-for-4? He can’t afford to lose the Senate with two Supreme Court nominations on the horizon.

— DRJ

Comments (34)

34 Responses to “Another Obama Loss”

Well, the force of his personality has underwhelmed the Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians, and now his own party members.

But, hey, he’s still got Moron, Imadickwad, and Stupidology.
AD - RtR/OS! (89e14c) — 2/15/2010 @ 2:50 pm
If any other politician has turned radioactive in less time, I’d certainly like to hear about it.
GeneralMalaise (4d34a1) — 2/15/2010 @ 2:51 pm
Russian politicians are disqualified.
GeneralMalaise (4d34a1) — 2/15/2010 @ 2:51 pm
let’s give Ear Leader credit: he’s sticking with what he’s good at……
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 2/15/2010 @ 3:08 pm
Centrist heavyweight? Porkulus aye, TARP aye, Obama’s nominations aye, and of course ObamaCare aye.

What’s a “liberal” look like, if this is a centrist?
Mitch (e40959) — 2/15/2010 @ 3:12 pm
Trotsky!
AD - RtR/OS! (89e14c) — 2/15/2010 @ 3:14 pm
Obama has been the best thing to happen to the Republicans in years. Now, we have to hope they don’t return the favor.
MIke K (2cf494) — 2/15/2010 @ 3:21 pm
He can’t afford to lose the Senate with two Supreme Court nominations on the horizon.

I just can’t see that affecting his SCOTUS nominations.
Subotai (7ff7ea) — 2/15/2010 @ 3:41 pm
How about Bayh mounting a challenge to The Messiah for 2012? Stock up on popcorn before the price goes way up.
Old Coot (ddf8be) — 2/15/2010 @ 3:51 pm
No way can Bayh challenge teh One in ’12 – for this party at present, he’s slightly to the left of Genghis Kahn. The nutbags like Myron would burn his house down if he even hinted at a run.
Dmac (799abd) — 2/15/2010 @ 3:54 pm
He can’t afford to lose the Senate with two Supreme Court nominations on the horizon.

Yes he can. Republicans are not going to filibuster, or even reject, a Democratic Supreme Court nomination. Plenty of Senate Republicans, like Lindsey Graham, will support anyone Obama nominates for the high court. You have to remember the contempt that many members of the Republican Senate caucus have for the base of their party. You know, the kind of Republicans who want to tell “the bigots” to “shut up.”
Alan (07ccb5) — 2/15/2010 @ 5:44 pm
Yes he can. Republicans are not going to filibuster, or even reject, a Democratic Supreme Court nomination.

Too true. There are more than a few Republicans who are desperate to appear bi-partisan as well as have a barely-veiled contempt for the peasantry.
iconoclast (4a423f) — 2/15/2010 @ 6:12 pm
I think Bayh hates Obama and his demolition of the legislative branch. It’s obvious all Obama cares about is his own political butt.
Patricia (e1047e) — 2/15/2010 @ 7:20 pm
Alan,

I agree Senate Republicans will acquiesce to an ideologically liberal nominee, even though the Democrats would not return the favor. Nevertheless, I think losing the Senate would make it harder for Obama to successfully nominate liberal candidates who have made or taken controversial statements and positions.
DRJ (6a8003) — 2/15/2010 @ 7:34 pm
I doubt it. I think Obama fully realizes the truth of what I said about the Senate Republicans. For instance, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he nominates Cass Sunstein to the Supreme Court. I’m sure Obama realizes he could get Sunstein confirmed despite the man’s very controversial views.

Anyway, the Supreme Court vacancies will probably happen before the election. At least one of them, but probably both of them, because even Supreme Court justices follow the news and see what’s going to happen to the Senate.
Alan (07ccb5) — 2/15/2010 @ 7:46 pm
That’s ret*rded, and I’m going to call you on it if no one else is.
Comment by Leviticus — 2/15/2010 @ 7:54 am

and i’m going to call you on the use of the “R” word, since Sarah isn’t here to do it. have you no sense of decency?
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 2/15/2010 @ 8:19 pm
Actually, Zero is 0-for-6 if you include the Olympics bid and the Climate Summit.
Fresh Air (adb305) — 2/15/2010 @ 10:12 pm
Do I remember correctly from a week or two back that Obama really embarassed Bayh at a Dem meeting? He had made a statement calling for more co-operation and a more concillatory policy and Obama basically said that it’s my way or the highway to his face.
Don’t know if this happened through the press or face to face, but if the facts are as I recall then Obama has no one to blame but himself.
Have Blue (854a6e) — 2/15/2010 @ 10:22 pm
That does sound familiar, Have Blue. And to think Bayh was one of 3 on Obama’s short-list for VP.
DRJ (6a8003) — 2/15/2010 @ 10:29 pm
I think the Bayh-Obama discussion occurred at the Senate Democratic Policy retreat earlier this month. Here is Bayh’s lengthy question. The President’s lengthier answer is at the link:

“SENATOR REID: Final question, Evan Bayh, Indiana.

SENATOR BAYH: Thank you for being with us, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: We can get you a mic. Nice sneakers, by the way, Evan. (Laughter.)

SENATOR BAYH: Oh, thank you. You’ve got to stay light on your feet around here, right? (Laughter.) Mr. President, you’ve already addressed this in part, and several of the other questioners have raised this, but I’d like to present it in a little bit different way that I think is on the minds of people in my state, and perhaps in the minds of independents and moderate Republicans and conservative Democrats around the country — and that’s this issue of the deficit and rising debt, and restoring the fiscal health of this country to a position where it ought to be.

Frankly, I think the public and average citizen have been way ahead of the political class on this. They understand in the long run this is unsustainable, it’s bad economics. They understand that generally — generationally, as Michael was mentioning, it’s unfair to our children to ask them to pay these bills. And most of all, there’s a sense of unfairness. They’re having to make sacrifices in their daily lives, but too many in Washington expect to have continuing increases in the programs they care about; ordinary citizens are making sacrifices, and yet we want our earmarks or pet projects. And they ask, why can’t Washington make the same sacrifices that we’re willing to make?

Now, I think they realize that the other party doesn’t have much credibility on this subject. They handed you a — what, a $1.3 trillion deficit. Vice President Cheney famously said that in his opinion deficits didn’t matter. He just flat out said it. That’s wrong. It’s bad economics. It’s wrong. And so we’ve got a job to do. But I think many people across the country candidly look at us and say, I don’t know if the Democrats are willing to take this on. They think we want to tax too much and spend too much, and do we have the backbone to really stand up and make some of these hard decisions?

Now, to your credit, you’ve called for some things that aren’t always popular in our party. The first thing I noticed when you put into effect that non-security discretionary spending freeze is you got kicked in the shins by some of the left-wing blogs. And you called for more restraint on earmarks. That’s not always popular among our group, but to your credit, you’ve called for those things.

So my question to you, Mr. President, is speaking to independents, conservative Democrats, moderate Republicans — people who know we have to do this — why should the Democratic Party be trusted? And are we willing to make some of the tough decisions to actually head this country in a better direction?”
DRJ (6a8003) — 2/15/2010 @ 10:37 pm
(@1 AD – RtR/OS!) Well, the force of his personality has underwhelmed the Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians, and now his own party members.

Don’t forget Honduras, they defied him too. They went ahead and had a…gasp…free election, against President Obama’s wishes.
Pons Asinorum (b14377) — 2/15/2010 @ 10:52 pm
Furthermore, 0-8 including Kentucky basketball and Indy Colts……
Krusher (ceb4ea) — 2/16/2010 @ 5:15 am
Krusher – To be fair, he picked the Saint and the Colts.
JD (1138b8) — 2/16/2010 @ 5:47 am
“You have to remember the contempt that many members of the Republican Senate caucus have for the base of their party.”

Which proves they know it well.
Triumph (b66fe4) — 2/16/2010 @ 10:13 am
[…] Senate (Video) and Breaking: Indiana Senator Evan Bayh to Retire Patterico’s Pontifications: Another Obama Loss National Review Online: Evan Bayh to Retire… The Deluge […]
Bye-Bye, Bayh… Indiana Democrat Senator Says He Won’t Run for Third Term in Congress « Frugal Café Blog Zone (a66042) — 2/16/2010 @ 10:51 am
Comment by Triumph — 2/14/2010 @ 11:49 am at this thread:

I, for one, have better things to do out of my precious time than arguing with right-wing ideologues whose manners mirror exactly those of left-wing ideologues.

Triumph, you cut-and-ran from a question in that thread. Since you have nothing of substance to offer here (“Which proves they know it well.” really that’s all you have?), and since you have found some “precious time”, then perhaps you might want to reengage at the previous thread and address your intellectual cowardice.
Pons Asinorum (b14377) — 2/16/2010 @ 12:23 pm
Pons – tilt at any windmills latel?y
JD (459763) — 2/16/2010 @ 1:12 pm
[…]really that’s all you have?

I adapt to my audience.

and since you have found some “precious time”, then perhaps you might want to reengage at the previous thread and address your intellectual cowardice

Intellectual cowardice? No.
Realism? Yes.
Arguing with you people is hopeless. Throwing barbs is so much more fun.
Triumph (b66fe4) — 2/16/2010 @ 1:46 pm
I AM AN INDEPENDENT !!!
JD (e89f46) — 2/16/2010 @ 1:51 pm
tilt at any windmills latel?y

😉

Thought I’d start the New Year off properly, JD.

—

Hey, I won 2 bucks playing a dice game that my relatives taught me called sz’ ‘ng luk (or four, five, six). Normally they clean my clock with all kinds of card games, but not this year!

How’d you do?
Pons Asinorum (b14377) — 2/16/2010 @ 2:39 pm
I was winning, big, when Better Half informed me it was poor form to not let the elders win. So, I broke even, after some bad bets and folding of monster hands.
JD (2f1bff) — 2/16/2010 @ 2:47 pm
Ah, JD you are a better man than me!
Pons Asinorum (b14377) — 2/16/2010 @ 2:51 pm
It had nothing to do with being a good man, just did not want to be in the doghouse for longer than normal. Kind of aggravating since they would never hesitate to get in whitey’s pocket 😉

Cognac-fueled karaoke by elderly Buddhist monks more than made up for it.
JD (2f1bff) — 2/16/2010 @ 3:02 pm
…doghouse for longer than normal.

Haha! Know the feeling.
Pons Asinorum (b14377) — 2/16/2010 @ 4:18 pm

2/15/2010

Another Obama Loss

34 Responses to “Another Obama Loss”

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