http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/campaign/221846-democrats-avoidance-strategies-and-lack-of-engagementAn apparent signal that Democrats were shifting to a defensive posture in these midterm elections came most assuredly when the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee pulled support from Alison Lundergan Grimes in her Kentucky Senate race against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) following an almost biblical refusal to acknowledge her vote for President Obama in the last election (they have since restored a portion of it). Democrats also pulled ads from the Virginia congressional campaign of John Foust, one of the most closely watched in the country.
Blurring the lines between themselves and the Obama administration is de rigueur for many high-profile Democratic candidates across the country, who clumsily vacillate between policy moderation and ignoring — rather than disagreeing with — the party's de facto leader. The change complements a well-sculpted narrative of substantial Democratic losses this November. Despite some optimism, the soul-searching once ascribed to Republicans is firmly encamped within Democratic politics. Aside from the ideological tussles between progressives and moderates, as 2016 approaches the party will need to reconcile the demands of modern campaigns with voter expectations of governance and engagement.The avoidance strategies are disheartening considering that only five years ago the president won a Nobel Peace Prize for a campaign many heralded as the healing of racial and political rifts within the U.S. and across continents. That first campaign eschewed party and institutional politics out of necessity, and Obama won the presidency due in part to his proficient adoption of social media that quickly established real and virtual communities of support — the groundwork of which was laid four years earlier by another presidential candidate, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D).
The campaign's use of social media analytics and algorithms, combined with shrewd campaign tactics and a masterful articulation of ideas during speeches, veiled the President's disdain for retail and cloakroom politics — the politics of engagement with lawmakers of either party. Despite its frequent derision, hands-on political engagement provides stakeholders of all types comfort in the process of governance and paves the way for successes and failures on Capitol Hill to be translated into the impact on the daily lives of Americans.
These days, we see Bill and Hillary Clinton demonstrating considerable alacrity to stump for candidates displaying an inimitable ability to turn complex policy and the opaqueness of D.C. politics into tangible effects in ways that are both informative and mobilizing. And while the Obama coalition was highly personalized, segmented and hugely successful, it doesn't seem to translate easily to other candidates, a feature crucial to an older style of politicking.
As is typical in state and national campaigns, the final weeks see a flurry of activity to energize and mobilize black voters — this November, their votes will be crucial in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida — and conspicuously, an African-American president is not on the campaign trail to engage them.
Furthermore, investigations earlier this year revealed that the Democratic National Committee has done little to improve minority contracting, which suggests further constricting of lines of communication between Democrats and core voters.MORE AT LINK...
This election will be about Obama because angry people vote, and content people sleep. Obama has pissed off half of America with his inept socialist power grab and his divisive IRS NSA DOJ gestapo. The millions of people he tried to buy off with Obamafare will not thank him. They will say "about time" and go back to watching television or Youtube.
Even the rats ain't chomping at the bit to pull the lever for their candidate.
The RINOs of Washington will shower in the sweet sweet tears of Debbie Wasserman-Schultz
http://dailycaller.com/2014/10/26/debbie-wasserman-schultz-refuses-six-times-to-say-if-obamas-policies-are-on-the-ballot-video/ and Harry Reid
http://dailycaller.com/2014/10/08/democratic-senate-candidates-running-away-from-harry-reid/I'm getting a patriotic feeling.
:vote:
