In defeat, Obama tells GOP: My mandate is bigger than yours
Nov 7, 2014 12:26:09 #
"To the two-thirds of v**ers who chose not to participate in the process yesterday, I hear you,...
President Obama did something extraordinary, perhaps unprecedented, in his post-e******n news conference Wednesday: He claimed a mandate on behalf of v**ers who didn't v**e.
"To everyone who v**ed, I want you to know that I hear you," the president said. "To the two-thirds of v**ers who chose not to participate in the process yesterday, I hear you, too."
What did that mean? What did those non-v**ers say?
It would probably be more useful to ask what the president heard. And apparently Obama heard expressions of support from non-v**ers across the land.
The president explained that many more v**ers turned out when he was elected, and then re-elected, than in Tuesday's midterms that left Republicans firmly in control of House and Senate. "One of the things that I'm very proud of in 2008 and 2012, when I ran for office, was we got people involved who hadn't been involved before," Obama said. "Part of what I also think we've got to look at is that two-thirds of people who were eligible to v**e just didn't v**e."
." They h**e the other party.
Of course, more than one-third of the people who were eligible to v**e in Obama's two p**********l e******ns didn't v**e then, either. But Obama's message to Republicans was unmistakable: My mandate is bigger than your mandate.
Certainly p**********l-year turnout is larger than midterm turnout; that's the way the system works. But Obama's reaction was born out of failure.
Everyone knew, going into Tuesday's v****g, that Democrats were desperate to re-assemble the vaunted Obama coalition of 2008 and 2012. If that combination of minorities, women and young people came to the midterm polls in the same numbers they did in p**********l years, Obama's party would do very well.
But that didn't happen a result the president does not seem prepared to fully acknowledge. Facing the reality of a huge Republican victory, Obama spoke at his post-defeat news conference as if the v**ers who supported him in '08 and '12 had made a sort of virtual trip to the polls in 2014, delivering a silent but more powerful message than the one sent by Americans who actually turned out.
Perhaps Obama felt as if he had to read the results that way. After all, a more reality-based look at what happened would have been a humbling experience for a man who in the past has known great success with v**ers.
Remember that a month before the midterms, Obama declared that his policies "are on the b****t, every single one of them." Then Americans actually cast those b****ts, and Obama's party lost decisively. A reasonable interpretation would be that v**ers broadly rejected the president's policies. So Obama looked for another way to read the results.
Mentally, the president appears stuck in 2012, a year when he won re-e******n and had a chance to enact a second-term agenda. Back then, he hoped for victories on gun control, immigration and the environment. But he got very little done. Now, having lost big in his second midterms, Obama is trying to remind everyone that he used to be a winner.
The problem is p**********l terms last four years, but p**********l mandates don't. George W. Bush won re-e******n in 2004 and used his victory to try to enact Social Security reform. He failed and two years later paid for the unpopularity of his policies most notably, the Iraq war with a huge defeat in the 2006 midterms.
By the time Bush lost Congress, his mandate was gone, and he was reduced to exercising the core constitutional powers of the presidency. Bush would have been laughed out of the room if, in his famous "thumping" post-e******n news conference of Nov. 8, 2006, he had pointed to his victories in 2000 and 2004 as evidence of some sort of virtual mandate bequeathed by v**ers who hadn't actually shown up at the midterm polls.
Instead, Bush's acceptance of defeat was model of reality-based politics. "I'm obviously disappointed with the outcome of the e******n, and as the head of the Republican Party, I share a large part of the responsibility," Bush said. "Look, this was a close e******n. If you look at race by race, it was close. The cumulative effect, however, was not too close. It was a thumping."
Obama didn't come anywhere near that sort of acknowledgment. If he doesn't eventually accept what happened Tuesday, the nation could be in for two years of a president living in the past, pointing to a mandate that is long past its sell-by date.
President Obama did something extraordinary, perhaps unprecedented, in his post-e******n news conference Wednesday: He claimed a mandate on behalf of v**ers who didn't v**e.
"To everyone who v**ed, I want you to know that I hear you," the president said. "To the two-thirds of v**ers who chose not to participate in the process yesterday, I hear you, too."
What did that mean? What did those non-v**ers say?
It would probably be more useful to ask what the president heard. And apparently Obama heard expressions of support from non-v**ers across the land.
The president explained that many more v**ers turned out when he was elected, and then re-elected, than in Tuesday's midterms that left Republicans firmly in control of House and Senate. "One of the things that I'm very proud of in 2008 and 2012, when I ran for office, was we got people involved who hadn't been involved before," Obama said. "Part of what I also think we've got to look at is that two-thirds of people who were eligible to v**e just didn't v**e."
." They h**e the other party.
Of course, more than one-third of the people who were eligible to v**e in Obama's two p**********l e******ns didn't v**e then, either. But Obama's message to Republicans was unmistakable: My mandate is bigger than your mandate.
Certainly p**********l-year turnout is larger than midterm turnout; that's the way the system works. But Obama's reaction was born out of failure.
Everyone knew, going into Tuesday's v****g, that Democrats were desperate to re-assemble the vaunted Obama coalition of 2008 and 2012. If that combination of minorities, women and young people came to the midterm polls in the same numbers they did in p**********l years, Obama's party would do very well.
But that didn't happen a result the president does not seem prepared to fully acknowledge. Facing the reality of a huge Republican victory, Obama spoke at his post-defeat news conference as if the v**ers who supported him in '08 and '12 had made a sort of virtual trip to the polls in 2014, delivering a silent but more powerful message than the one sent by Americans who actually turned out.
Perhaps Obama felt as if he had to read the results that way. After all, a more reality-based look at what happened would have been a humbling experience for a man who in the past has known great success with v**ers.
Remember that a month before the midterms, Obama declared that his policies "are on the b****t, every single one of them." Then Americans actually cast those b****ts, and Obama's party lost decisively. A reasonable interpretation would be that v**ers broadly rejected the president's policies. So Obama looked for another way to read the results.
Mentally, the president appears stuck in 2012, a year when he won re-e******n and had a chance to enact a second-term agenda. Back then, he hoped for victories on gun control, immigration and the environment. But he got very little done. Now, having lost big in his second midterms, Obama is trying to remind everyone that he used to be a winner.
The problem is p**********l terms last four years, but p**********l mandates don't. George W. Bush won re-e******n in 2004 and used his victory to try to enact Social Security reform. He failed and two years later paid for the unpopularity of his policies most notably, the Iraq war with a huge defeat in the 2006 midterms.
By the time Bush lost Congress, his mandate was gone, and he was reduced to exercising the core constitutional powers of the presidency. Bush would have been laughed out of the room if, in his famous "thumping" post-e******n news conference of Nov. 8, 2006, he had pointed to his victories in 2000 and 2004 as evidence of some sort of virtual mandate bequeathed by v**ers who hadn't actually shown up at the midterm polls.
Instead, Bush's acceptance of defeat was model of reality-based politics. "I'm obviously disappointed with the outcome of the e******n, and as the head of the Republican Party, I share a large part of the responsibility," Bush said. "Look, this was a close e******n. If you look at race by race, it was close. The cumulative effect, however, was not too close. It was a thumping."
Obama didn't come anywhere near that sort of acknowledgment. If he doesn't eventually accept what happened Tuesday, the nation could be in for two years of a president living in the past, pointing to a mandate that is long past its sell-by date.
Nov 7, 2014 12:28:24 #
**His mandate is bigger that that of the GOP..he wants to get thngs done...they want to stop him from doing so but not accomplish s**t themselves**
Nov 7, 2014 12:34:12 #
KHH1 wrote:
**His mandate is bigger that that of the GOP..he wants to get thngs done...they want to stop him from doing so but not accomplish s**t themselves**
I know you're butt-hurt... I get it. I've been there. But you aren't doing anything but make yourself look like a groupie.
If Obama wanted to do something he would have told Reid to v**e on the bipartisan (some unanimous) bills that the House had sent to him.
He didn't, because he didn't want to get anything done. He wanted to play golf and admire himself in the mirror.
Nov 7, 2014 12:45:08 #
Could it be the the dead just decided to stay in their graves this time around?? I believe the nonv**ers spoke louder than those who v**ed. We're not buying your crap this time is what I heard them say.
Nov 7, 2014 12:51:38 #
Had enough wrote:
Obama stomps his foot and tries to diminish the clearest e******n statement in decades.Could it be the the dead just decided to stay in their graves this time around?? I believe the nonv**ers spoke louder than those who v**ed. We're not buying your crap this time is what I heard them say.
The GOP didn't win because they were great orators.
They won because Democrats failed miserably.
Nov 7, 2014 13:13:52 #
Super Dave wrote:
I know you're butt-hurt... I get it. I've been there. But you aren't doing anything but make yourself look like a groupie.
If Obama wanted to do something he would have told Reid to v**e on the bipartisan (some unanimous) bills that the House had sent to him.
He didn't, because he didn't want to get anything done. He wanted to play golf and admire himself in the mirror.
If Obama wanted to do something he would have told Reid to v**e on the bipartisan (some unanimous) bills that the House had sent to him.
He didn't, because he didn't want to get anything done. He wanted to play golf and admire himself in the mirror.
**man please....hurt for what? A GOP administration will hurt YOU way more than it will hurt ME, don't get it twisted.....but President Obama has put up with bulls**t long enough....trying to be diplomatic with a bunch of f-king r****t fools...he knows what he needs to do and is smart enough to accomplish it with or without their cooperation....because he knows he is dealing with a bunch of ignorant r****t azz fools**
Nov 7, 2014 13:15:54 #
KHH1 wrote:
**His mandate is bigger that that of the GOP..he wants to get thngs done...they want to stop him from doing so but not accomplish s**t themselves**
Tell us about your man date. Is his man thing bigger than other man things you've experienced? More painful, or do you like that? Don't be shy. Speak right up.
Nov 7, 2014 13:35:03 #
The president is delusional. People who choose not to v**e, choose not to have their voice heard, Obama! So that little voice you are hearing in your sick head is your own sick ideology. Get over it! wh**ever you are thinking, its not gonna happen!
Nov 7, 2014 15:09:44 #
KHH1 wrote:
Bulls**t.**man please....hurt for what? A GOP administration will hurt YOU way more than it will hurt ME, don't get it twisted.....but President Obama has put up with bulls**t long enough....trying to be diplomatic with a bunch of f-king r****t fools...he knows what he needs to do and is smart enough to accomplish it with or without their cooperation....because he knows he is dealing with a bunch of ignorant r****t azz fools**
Obama has been treated like a princess compared to the crap W put up with.
When Obama took office, POTUS was the most powerful mortal man in the known universe. And you whine like a 3 year old girl because people are talking mean about him.
He's failed on just about everything he's touched.
He's lied his ass off about everything from Fast and Furious, Bengahzi, ObamaCare, IRS, targeting journalists, and more...
And now, he can't imagine how American could be so stupid as to question his greatness.
I see you're upset. I don't blame you. You were all-in for a leader that has failed and been rejected in a historic way.
Obama and the Democrat Party has lost about 70 House seats, about 19 Senate seats, and Dozens and Dozens of State Legislatures in the last 3 e******ns.
At some point, you have to come to the conclusion that he's not Jesus Christ.
Nov 7, 2014 15:16:12 #
KHH1 wrote:
**man please....hurt for what? A GOP administration will hurt YOU way more than it will hurt ME, don't get it twisted.....but President Obama has put up with bulls**t long enough....trying to be diplomatic with a bunch of f-king r****t fools...he knows what he needs to do and is smart enough to accomplish it with or without their cooperation....because he knows he is dealing with a bunch of ignorant r****t azz fools**
"A GOP administration will hurt YOU way more than it will hurt me" YEAH RIGHT! lol...That's why your hurt ass has been on here trying to smear conservatives since they won the e******ns! You're angry! you're pissed! and you are hurt because you and your sick liberal pals can no longer force your sick twisted agenda down the throats of Americans. America spoke loud and clear! America spoke against the progressive liberal agenda! and its k*****g you. lol...Get over it! sore loser.
Nov 7, 2014 15:23:22 #
I guess you didn't understand the article. Read the last line
"Obama didn't come anywhere near that sort of acknowledgment. If he doesn't eventually accept what happened Tuesday, the nation could be in for two years of a president living in the past, pointing to a mandate that is long past its sell-by date."
"Obama didn't come anywhere near that sort of acknowledgment. If he doesn't eventually accept what happened Tuesday, the nation could be in for two years of a president living in the past, pointing to a mandate that is long past its sell-by date."
KHH1 wrote:
"To the two-thirds of v**ers who chose not to... (show quote)
Nov 7, 2014 15:25:51 #
DennisDee wrote:
Dems are in 'quick spin' mode.I guess you didn't understand the article. Read the last line
"Obama didn't come anywhere near that sort of acknowledgment. If he doesn't eventually accept what happened Tuesday, the nation could be in for two years of a president living in the past, pointing to a mandate that is long past its sell-by date."
"Obama didn't come anywhere near that sort of acknowledgment. If he doesn't eventually accept what happened Tuesday, the nation could be in for two years of a president living in the past, pointing to a mandate that is long past its sell-by date."
Nov 7, 2014 15:27:41 #
Ricko
Loc: Florida
KHH1 wrote:
**His mandate is bigger that that of the GOP..he wants to get thngs done...they want to stop him from doing so but not accomplish s**t themselves**
KHH1-So Obama's mandate from those who did not v**e is greater than the mandate of those who did v**e ? What a crock of crap. You have to be mentally challenged to even buy into such BS. Grow up or go play with your lego set. It just shows that Obama is an arrogant, obstinate, condescending little fraud who totally discounts the American v**er. (the democrat panic has set in-and are desperately trying to downplay the effects of a thorough butt whomping -lol) Good Luck America!!!
Nov 7, 2014 15:33:57 #
Ricko
Loc: Florida
johnson90 wrote:
The president is delusional. People who choose not to v**e, choose not to have their voice heard, Obama! So that little voice you are hearing in your sick head is your own sick ideology. Get over it! wh**ever you are thinking, its not gonna happen!
Johnson90-the MTO (Muslim Tug Obama) is taking on water and the demo-rats are s**mpering. Have you ever seen such in-your-face arrogance towards the American people. This guy has to be on drugs or strong Kool Aid. Good Luck America !!!
Nov 7, 2014 15:34:28 #
Obama campaigning for Anthony Brown in SOLID BLUE MARYLAND. His appeal didn't work and Brown went down in defeat. Obama has no MANDATE. He was unable to even get people to SHOW up to v**e.
KHH1 wrote:
**His mandate is bigger that that of the GOP..he wants to get thngs done...they want to stop him from doing so but not accomplish s**t themselves**
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