Both Dean and Feingold have strongly denied all claims that they'll "primary" Obama

[scheming daemons]

If you are spreading that meme here on DU, then you are acting no different than a right-wing mole would act.


It is an attempt to take advantage of the left's sadness and anger over the election results. It has no basis in truth.



Both men have categorically denied that they will attempt to run for President in 2012.


Stop doing the GOP's dirty work for them.

[countingbluecars]

1. Amen! n/t

[AtomicKitten]

25. +1

[madfloridian]

2. They can be more influential by speaking the truth instead....

of being afraid to confront a president who values bipartisanship over the needs of the country.

They can be more influential by speaking out honestly, and not cowering.

[BurtWorm]

6. They would be wasted as alternative presidential candidates anyway.

The media might be kind to someone in that position for as long as it causes the Obama administration headaches, but eventually, the media get tired of that game and turns their fangs on the challenger to see how much blood they can get out of them. And when the media are in that mode, the truth does not get through.

[HuckleB]

3. They are not fools, and they won't do anything to hurt this country.

I honor Dean and Feingold, and I wish the party would honor them as it should, but there is no point in acting destructively.

[madfloridian]

4. They will do harm if they don't speak on things that do hurt the country.

It's time to be honest.

[HuckleB]

8. I'm quite certain they will speak.

[madfloridian]

9. They should have spoken more before the election.

There was a lot that needed to be said and there was no one to say it out loud.

[HuckleB]

11. Well, I think they've done their jobs quite well.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. Hopefully, some liberal will.

[EmilyAnne]

26. Thus ensuring that we elect a Republican president in 2012. nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

28. Well, running "moderates" didn't do too well in 2010.

How is running a centrist going to fare in 2012?

[EmilyAnne]

31. This is about primarying against a sitting president. The last primary was nasty enough.

Against an incumbent?
Brutal.
The Democratic Electorate would not have enough time to recover.

[Selatius]

7. Nice to see we are all assuming Obama will win a second term automatically.

Everything must be fought. It's a mistake to take it as granted.

[PeaceNikki]

10. I haven't seen any "spreading the meme" here

I've seen people mention and/or hope, but not discuss it in anything other than theoretical hope

[scheming daemons]

14. There were several thread about both Feingold and Dean

Not going to link them... you can find them.


I'm surprised you didn't see them.

[NeedleCast]

12. Should start a betting pool on number of "Primary Obama" threads we'll see in General

over the next two years.

[CBR]

13. Bet: 2878 nt

[NeedleCast]

16. Sounds about right...

[leeroysphitz]

15. I would love to see a real liberal, like Dr. Dean challenge the Compromiser In Chief.

Pimaries, primaries, primaries.

I've been saying for years that the primaries are the only tool we have left to cut out the corporatist / centrist / dlc CANCERS that are eating our party alive.

[NeedleCast]

17. There was a primary. In 2008. Your candidate lost.

You can try again in 2012.

[leeroysphitz]

30. Yes, you are correct 2012 is coming...

but please don't presume to tell me who I supported in 2008. At the behest of John Conyers I threw away my vote with an "uncommitted" in support of Obama since he played by the rules and was not on the ballot (look it up).

I won't be making that mistake again. If had known just how meek and disengaged he would be I probably wouldn't have bothered to vote at all and if Tuesday's results are any indication (and we all know that they are) most other Americans feel the same way.

[Brickbat]

18. Too bad. Some good might come of it.

[scheming daemons]

21. Nothing good has ever come from primary-ing a sitting President

Reagan hurt Ford badly in 1976.


Kennedy hurt Carter badly in 1980.


Buchanan even hurt Bush-41 in 1992.... which led to Perot.




A tough Primary for Obama is the surest way to ensuring a GOP win in 2012.


The GOP will have 10 or more people battling it out during the primaries. Obama needs to be able to save his war chest for the general.


Nobody... not even Dean or Feingold will defeat Obama in the primaries... but they *COULD* cost him a substantial chunk of his war chest and leave him wounded.




The good news is that both Dean and Feingold understand this.... even if misguided progressives are clueless to the lessons of history.

[frazzled]

19. True, it's a right-wing little ploy

And people here fall for it like preteen girls at a Jonas Brothers concert.

[OHdem10]

20. This is a story pushed by the right to create dissension.

Can we put a stop to it.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

22. K&R

[NorthCarolina]

23. I doubt they would play any cards 2 years out from the election.

Time will tell.

[MadHound]

24. Wait, wha?

Wanting to primary a president is now doing the GOP's dirty work? Did somebody inform Ted Kennedy of that before he passed? Eugene McCarthy?

Sometimes your over-the-top is just so over-the-top.

[scheming daemons]

27. Ted Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy both mortally wounded the Dem nominee and helped the GOP

... and Ted Kennedy admitted as much in his memoirs. He regretted that he helped Reagan get elected. It wasn't his intent, but it was the result.



And Howard Dean said the same thing today... he said Obama is going to win, so the only result of primarying him will be to weaken him for the general.




Howard Dean gets it. So does Russ. They don't want a wounded nominee going up against the GOP in '12.



Nothing I said is "over-the-top". Everything in the OP is straight from Feingold and Dean themselves.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

29. LBJ mortally wounded the Dem nominee with his war.

Carter lost the left with his "moderation".