Do Obama and the Congress Dems bear any responsibility for losses

[quinnox]

in the election? I'm thinking they will have a large part of the blame for their poor performance, and how they lost popularity to many people that voted for them last time around. I mean, I don't doubt the republicans would be ten times worse, but I can't say with a straight face that the Democrats and Obama have done a fantastic job in power. I'd have to say the word I would use instead is mediocre.

[seabeyond]

1. any? is an awfully big question with lots of answers. of course they have some part, BUT

i think it is very small and insignificant to the real reasons for what is happening with this election.

[BeFree]

9. yep

...and it makes awfully large assumptions, to boot.

Losses? Well, if everybody actually voted the pubbies would be just a speck of dirt in an otherwise near perfect democracy.

Since few people do vote and a fair majority of those live in fear, then the fear mongers get a lot of votes.

[DrDan]

2. of course they do

[tibbiit]

3. Yes

They knew coming into office two years ago how the republicans behave when dems are in control. THey knew from recent history how the news media hounds dems and supports the republican point of view. They even had Clinton alums as part of their admin who should have anticipated all of this and countered it long before the week before the election. (clinton was not that long ago, and because of these reasons I actually thought rahm would be a good choice as administration hammer...wrong!)
They did nothing to educate and explain the differences between the two governing styles and what they got accomplished!
So YES
big responsibility.
tib

[Bitwit1234]

4. I don't think they will lose either the house or the senate

but I do think they are responsible for every single Democratic that fails to win re-election. They back pedaled on every single bill they passed, trying to get the republicans approval. They sit on their asses and let the republicans have the floor of the country. They let them block, deny and stop every single important aspect of every single important bill that was passed. We have a few good senators. It is a shame we don't have more like them. Franken who is one of the best senators we have faces the wrath of the republicans daily because he fought the crooked machine in Minneapolis to make them count they votes properly AND HE WON. They can't stand the fact that people saw how they were cheating. I don't believe half the republicans in the house and senate won legally. You will never convince me that they did. And if they win any seats in this election it is only because they control the electronic voting machines. We will never have fair and honest elections while they do. We have to go back to a written type of ballot and has a paper trail that can be counted.

[KittyWampus]

11. Are they also responsible for ever single Democrat that wins?

[LonePirate]

5. Yes for Obama and Reid. No for Pelosi.

Pelosi fought for Democrats and passed a lot of good legislation. Reid let it die and Obama never pushed for it.

[xultar]

8. +1

[Baalath]

6. I blame the French

:bluebox: :graybox: :redbox:

[Baalath]

7. I blame the French

:bluebox: :graybox: :redbox:

[KittyWampus]

10. Strange you can't wait until after the Election to talk about losses.

[flamingdem]

12. It's been less than TWO YEARS and a full assault from the Rovians who are RUTHLESS and UNAMERICAN nt

[Glorfindel]

13. They have lacked the courage of their convictions

They have tried too hard to reach consensus with Pukes who never had any intention of supporting their programs. In an effort to offend no one, they have allowed the howling mobs of right-wingers to control the political discourse. The Democrats have accomplished amazing things in the face of virtually unanimous Repuke opposition, but they refuse to give themselves credit for their achievements. In that regard, yes, they do bear some responsibility.

[Le Taz Hot]

14. It will be all the Progressives fault

and the gays and all of us who wanted a pony (I can't think of a more ridiculous assertion but that's "our" side for ya). The fact that their inaction to do, well, ANYTHING for their base will go completely ignored. Mediocre is kind. I find that complicit in the fleecing works better though that's a phrase and not a word. Geitner. Summers. Holder. Emmanuel. Kane. You can't run away from that kind of record.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. Naw. It's cuz the evil "professional Left" is picking on the poor lambs.

[Evasporque]

16. ALERT!!! chicken counting before hatching....nt

[HughMoran]

17. Is today Wednesday?

[snot]

18. Yes. How can they continue to ignore the need for media reform?

How can they expect to make significant progress against a tidal wave of conservative distractions and lies?

I'm starting to wonder if corp. funding for Dem pols amounts to kickbacks for throwing the fight.

[Poboy]

19. To quote that self appointed voice of sanity, 'too timid' legislation. -nt

[OHdem10]

20. Yes. By not getting out and fighting back against the Republicans

they permitted the GOPers to go on all TV Channels
and smear and distort every piece of legislation.

Waiting until September to start fighting was a mistake.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

21. I guess it would depend on why people vote against them

My interpretation of the situation is that there is a lot of free-floating anger, anxiety, and frustration out there and people are taking it out on pretty much whomever is in power right now, whom are largely Democrats. Whether or not they are deserving of blame for their so-called "poor performance" depends largely on what is motivating to go to the polls.

If people are voting against Democrats specifically because of something they did or didn't do (or haven't done yet) during the past 1-2 years, then, yeah, I guess they would have to shoulder some responsibility for losses incurred, although I don't understand how people wanting more from President Obama and the Democratic Party would vote for getting less from and/or empowering the Republican (Tea) Party unless they just want to "punish" President Obama and the Democratic Party (as well as everybody else including themselves). :shrug:

According to the corporate media and the Republicans, however, the supposed reasons that President Obama and the Democrats are supposedly hurting in the polls is because they've been "too liberal" and that people are wanting to elect more Republicans in order to stop/reverse our country's supposed slide into "Socialism" and, especially, to get "Obamacare" repealed. :eyes:

I guess we'll have to find out once the election is over what really moved people to vote one way or another before anybody can accurately assess what President Obama and the Democrats in Congress are/aren't responsible for.

[emilyg]

22. Yes they do.

[gulliver]

23. Nope. Not at all.

They did more than could be expected, and they deserve mostly gratitude. Voters on the left who don't vote for our side (on purpose or through sheer laziness) are to blame for all things that go wrong, get no credit for all things that go right, and are not entitled to have their opinions listened to or respected for two full years.