Pollsters call on Obama to step aside, make way for Clinton

[oberliner]

Reviving an idea they floated last year with an op-ed urging President Obama not to seek a second term, pollsters Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen are out Monday with a new op-ed drafting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be the Democrats' 2012 nominee.

Obama should “abandon his candidacy for reelection in favor of a clear alternative,” Caddell and Schoen wrote in Monday’s Wall Street Journal, because “the kind of campaign required for the president’s political survival would make it almost impossible for him to govern – not only during the campaign, but throughout a second term.”

“Never before has there been such an obvious potential successor – one who has been a loyal and effective member of the president’s administration, who has the stature to take on the office, and who is the only leader capable of uniting the country around a bipartisan economic and foreign policy,” they wrote of Clinton.

The two pollsters have worked for a number of high-profile Democrats -- Caddell for George McGovern, Jimmy Carter and Joe Biden, and Schoen for President Bill Clinton and for Hillary Clinton in 2008. But they are also known for taking positions that are at odds with the Democratic Party.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-pollsters-clinton-20111121,0,6798616.story?track=rss

[rocktivity]

1. Consider the source.

:boring:
rocktivity

[oberliner]

4. They are Democrats, aren't they?

Not sure what you are suggesting.

[sufrommich]

10. Caddell once said he'd leave the country if Hillary won.

They both now work for Fox News. They're trolling the Dems, don't play along.

[The Magistrate]

11. They Are Turds In the Faux News Commode, Sir: Their Blatherings Have No Weight

[oberliner]

25. Thanks for the info

Don't really know anything about them - just thought it was interesting.

[rocktivity]

31. Here's more on the pollsters' "qualifications"

http://www.salon.com/2011/11/21/fake_democratic_pollsters_have_stupid_idea/singleton/

:headbang:
rocktivity

[rocktivity]

22. True Democrats would have run this in a less conservative publication.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[oberliner]

24. The LA Times is Conservative?

I thought it was pretty middle-of-the-road.

[rocktivity]

29. I was referring to its being originally run in the Wall Street Journal

my bad.

On edit: http://www.salon.com/2011/11/21/fake_democratic_pollsters_have_stupid_idea/singleton/

:headbang:
rocktivity

[oberliner]

32. Sorry, my bad

Learning more about this article and these folks. Glad I posted here - has been instructive for me. Things aren't always what they seem.

[Pirate Smile]

27. They are Fox News "Democrats".

[Life Long Dem]

52. My suggestion is to not post this shit.

Clinton is going into retirement after this term.

[tomg]

2. What a great idea. We can go from one

member of the club to another member of the club. Like there would really be a difference.

[polichick]

3. No kidding - and a more entrenched member of the club too!

[oberliner]

6. What does that even mean?

What member of the club are going to and what member of the club are we going from?

[sufrommich]

15. It means your OP did what the original writers of the

article intended it to do. Oh, and gave the DUers unhappy with either Obama or Clinton a chance to bash them both.

[polichick]

19. Saying they're members of the same club isn't "bashing" - just fact.

[tomg]

28. Just two quick anecdotes:

well, I hope they are quick

I have been a dem for forty years. I come from a largely dem family. My wife and I have been progressives and left the whole time. Won't go over the resume. Right after Bill Clinton was elected, I remember my wife and I standing outside where I teach and watching Clinton go by after spending the day at the Roosevelt Library. His motorcade was later than expected. It was pretty late at night.We were the only ones on the road, and the motorcade goes by, and he waves to us. What exhilaration. I actually held an election party to celebrate Mondale's win 12 years earlier. Well, My wife was pregnant with our youngest and the older three ( 12 and 10 years older) had only lived under Republicans. Clinton's car goes by, and I remember my wife saying " Finally, our kids will get to know what a Democratic president is like." My response, "maybe this one will never know a Republican." Well, eight years later - Glass Steagal is gone, Don't Ask Don'T Tell is in, and NAFTA is the order of the day. "Welfare Reform." Straight Third Way. DLC. But hey, the stock market is doing okay and those tax cuts don't look too bad.

So, it is now 2008. My wife and I are still Democrats. We have been to more anti-war demonstrations than we want to remember (again - I am FOR and go back to 1966-67). Our youngest ( and the other 3) have been marching along with us for the past seven years. My wife and I support Edwards ( well Kucinich but snowballs in hell on that). Our two youngest, but particularly our now 16 year old are strongly pro-Obama and they really convince us. We all get together for the inauguration. Our two youngest are proud as hell. They feel as though a change is going to come. And now?

My wife and I are still doing the same things we have always done - she is a union rep ( and spent most of last spring at rallies in support of Wisconsin and this fall has been doing a few local OWS s), and I am still active where I am active - but please, don't hold up another Clinton to replace President Obama and suggest it is any different.

In short, it means that this true believer of 40 years is done. Of course, I will vote Dem. But instead of actually believing in these folks, it is all lesser of two evils. I hope that explains what I mean by that.

[Cali_Democrat]

9. Yup

The difference is now negligible. Obama campaigned to the left of Hillary and he also seemed like a breath of fresh air. That's what made him so appealing and that's why he beat Hillary in the primary. Obama has now steadily moved to the right and there is essentially no difference between Obama and Hillary.

[MuseRider]

17. Hmmmm

either out of the frying pan into the fire or out of the fire into the frying pan.

We need new blood people, new blood. Not clueless like the Tea Party but someone who is not beholden to the corporations and entrenched in the bipartisan 'ole boy/girl (man/woman) party. Someone who knows what they are doing and is totally engaged with what this country is supposed to look and act like.

Don't know who, wish they would magically show up because right now it looks pretty damned dismal.

[hedgehog]

5. Oh, please! That is sooooo 2007!

:eyes:

[racaulk]

7. .

:popcorn:

[awoke_in_2003]

33. I love that sig pic...

and how it appears to have made the other one go away.

[racaulk]

57. Thanks!

I like it too. The main reason I started using it was in response to the other one, which I'm glad isn't really around any longer.

:hi:

[awoke_in_2003]

64. The other one...

seemed so juvenile and condescending- yours points out how condescending the other one was- in a discreet way :hi:

[ProSense]

8. Why

"Pollsters call on Obama to step aside, make way for Clinton "

...is the media trying to dress up this clownish assertion as news?

These two idiots have been pitching this idea every few months since the election: Obama should step down because a couple of RW hacks pretending to be Democrats for the Fox Noise crowd are pushing Hillary in the hopes that those who can't get over the fact that Hillary lost will jump on their bandwagon.

[Tarheel_Dem]

12. It gets funnier each time I see it in print.

:rofl:

[WI_DEM]

13. the only time an incumbent president should step aside is if his party has lost

faith in him. Every single poll shows that Obama is very strong among democrats and they want him to run again and will support him. Unlike LBJ in 1968 or Truman in 1952--both had strong challenges in the NH primary. Obama has no strong challenge. Furthermore Obama has never gone down in the polls as badly as Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan did--and they both came back to win re-election. It appears that Obama's approval ratings, according to several polls, are climbing back. He's in the mid 40's in most and he beats all the GOP challengers. Why should he step aside?

[polichick]

21. Plus, he's winning all the debates!

[GoCubsGo]

14. "The only leader capable of uniting the country"...

Slept through the 1990s, did they? How can someone unite a country when the conservative half of it hates her guts?

[Kingofalldems]

16. Does Fox have any real Democrats working for them?

[CakeGrrl]

18. Old news. Posted here the other day.

And they're STILL shit-stirring, PUMA-baiting shills.

;-)

[Bake]

20. Caddell recently spoke at a Rethug convention

He sounded just like one of them. Here's a quote (and I have the audio to prove it):

"If he wins, the America I grew up in is dead."

Sometimes he slips and speaks to the Thug audience as "we."

Screw him. If he came to my door bleeding to death, I'd kindly ask him to get the hell off my porch.

Bake

[Tarheel_Dem]

26. +1.

:thumbsup:

[Jennicut]

23. And to think Cadell once worked for Biden AND Jerry Brown. He really

went to the dark side in recent years. Nutball.

[bigwillq]

30. No

I am not in support of Obama stepping aside for H. Clinton.
The people voted (in 2008) and went for Obama instead of Clinton.
Respect the voters.

If voters are unhappy with Obama, they have two chances (primary, GE) to vote against him or for someone else. They're free to write-in Clinton if they choose, but I am not in favor of Obama just "stepping aside".

[Proud Liberal Dem]

39. +1

Best response so far. It's really hard to react coherently to such a breathtakingly asinine article (it's just as bad as a similar one they penned this time last year).

[oberliner]

47. I agree with you

I do think a primary challenge could be a healthy thing, but I certainly don't see H Clinton doing so.

[Donnachaidh]

34. Clinton? No fecking way.

Just say NO to legacy candidates. Please God say NO. :puke:

[Phx_Dem]

35. Barf.

[Whisp]

36. . . .

*spits popcorn out

LMFAO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJudvtBir4k

[great white snark]

37. What horse doodie.

:thumbsdown:

[Umbral]

38. Six of one, half dozen of the other. nt

[AtomicKitten]

40. Polsters? More like propagandists.

Republicans Put Schoen To Good Use
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_11/republicans_put_schoen_to_good033420.php

In fact, Karl Rove has used Schoen's horseshit on OWS to attack Elizabeth Warren.

[oberliner]

46. Thanks for the info

I've been set straight on these characters - much appreciated.

[AtomicKitten]

48. You're welcome.

:hi:

[blkmusclmachine]

41. Return of PUMA.

We need a REAL Democrat for 2012. And not another Republican wanna-be.

[Beacool]

61. Then I assume that you won't be voting for Obama.

:eyes:

[SidDithers]

42. Oh look, it's this thread again...nt

Sid

[BeyondGeography]

43. Caddell is demented

In fact, he may be the most demented commentator on the teevee.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

44. Understand that wingnuts excel at projection! Their GOP field is fucked up and divided

Whenever this happens to their party, the first thing they do is try and drive a wedge through the other party. And what better way to achieve this than by going back to the 2008 primaries? Shame on DU for taking the bait! And shame on this thread and the other one started as flame bait.

I still don't understand why the Mods allow this shit!

HUGE UNRECOMMEND!!!

[oberliner]

45. Chill out

Posting this thread has helped me to get a sense of where these people are coming from.

It's been a good learning experience for me - and hopefully for others who may have stumbled across the article.

Far from being "shit" that the mods shouldn't allow, I would say this is actually a great illustration of the positive effect of this site.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

53. Don't see anything positive about it. It's derisive and DIVISIVE and we cannot afford it!

[Beacool]

60. Except that these two are Democrats.

Furthermore, Caddell was not a Hillary supporter. He threated to leave the country if she won the presidency.

:shrug:

[RFKHumphreyObama]

49. Well maybe if Douglas Schoen and partner Mark Penn hadn't run SOS Clinton's campaign into the ground

She would be President now. Maybe Doug should look at where the blame should fall instead of wallowing in self-denial and pity and projecting his own intellectual deficiencies onto a great President Maybe he should take some responsibility for once in your life

And, apart from one winning campaign in 1976, Caddell's record of supporting losing presidential candidates is equivalent to that of Bob Shrum. So why would anyone take advice from a perpetual loser like him?

Go back to whatever hole you crawled out from, Doug and Pat, and leave the grown ups to do their jobs

[bigdarryl]

50. This DICK HEAD used to be on MSNBC and noe a FIXED NEWS ass kisser

[Douglas Carpenter]

51. first of all, that is NOT going to happen and second of all replacing one "centrist" with another

"centrist" who is backed by the same interest, has essentially the same philosophy and will carry on pretty much the same policies - what's the point?

[wisteria]

54. Hell no. I don't see how she is more electable in 2012 than she was in 2008.

This reads like Clinton PR rubbish.

[Skip Intro]

55. You think she would have lost to the McCain/Palin trainwreck in '08? nt

[Beacool]

59. Exit polls showed that Hillary would have won by a larger margin.

Some of McCain voters said that if Hillary had been the Democratic nominee they would have voted for her.

;)

[BklnDem75]

63. They had exit polls with Hillary?

I'd like to see that. Got a link?

[MadBadger]

56. The Fox News Republicans

[madamesilverspurs]

58. sheeeyut...

[Beacool]

62. This was posted again?

Always amusing to read the hand wringing in some quarters.

:7