“The name “Hillary Clinton” crosses lips

Obama is increasingly portrayed as a weak leader, and the bleak economic news is not brightening his outlook for 2012.  In his bi-weekly column, John Hughes, former editor of the Christian Science Monitor, reminds us:

He campaigned on a platform to change Washington, but as he himself admitted in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, the atmosphere there is worse since he became president.

Hughes goes on to note: There is already some whispering. The name “Hillary Clinton” crosses lips.

Further, Hughes boldly goes where to my knowledge no mainstream pundit has ever previously gone to report the actual results of the Democratic primary in 2008:

In the curious way we elect our presidents – so bemusing to many foreigners – Hillary Rodham Clinton got more of the people’s vote than Obama in the primaries: 18,223,120 to his 18,011,877. Neither candidate received enough delegates from state primary races and caucuses to reach a majority at the party convention, but “superdelegate” votes pushed Obama over the top.

Remember the superdelegates? Those were the Democratic party leaders who with practically one voice declared in ’08 that racism was taboo, but the sexist trashing of Hillary Clinton by both left and right-wing extremists was acceptable. Don’t take my word for it, watch then DNC Chair Howard Dean apologize on CSPAN for the sexism after it was too late to make a difference.

Could Palin’s email dump have been a Left-wing media strategy to divert attention from bad news for the Dems?

Gov. Palin in her office.

Okay. I think I’ve finally figured this out. The recent release of Sarah Palin’s emails from her tenure as governor of Alaska is a strategy initiated by the Left-leaning media – see David Corn, Mother Jones, et al – on behalf of the struggling Obama campaign to divert attention from the economy, Anthony Weiner, etc.

The media’s frenzied examination of Palin’s emails has not revealed any scandals and in fact has so far shown her to be an effective state leader. This is proving frustrating to media types like Politico’s Molly Ball who, although – as Rev.  Amy points out – she acknowledges that Palin emerges from her emails as a “popular, charismatic competent woman of the people,”  feels driven to smear her anyway.

In the meantime, the media looks like a bunch of fools, and Rep. Weiner is right to be seeking treatment; you don’t need to be a licensed psychiatrist to realize the man is very, very sick.

And if Democratic Party leaders have not yet repented for their treatment of Hillary Clinton in 08, they might want to do so at this juncture as they witness their one-time haloed candidate, Barack Obama, falter on his way to re-election.

Plus, we need to remind ourselves that it’s the droves of U.S. unemployed who are suffering the most for the travesty of justice the Democratic primary of 08 continues to symbolize.

Lesson #1 for a presidential candidate: don’t pose as a candidate for sainthood

President Barack Obama and his predescessor George W. Bush are living proof that it’s a mistake for a presidential candidate to pose as a candidate for sainthood. In the case of both Obama and Bush, the electorate was doomed to suffer an almost immediate plunge into disillusionment.

On the campaign trail again, most recently in California, Obama takes pains to mention that he’s older and grayer this time around; I’ve not heard that he’s claiming to be any wiser.

But what must the left be thinking in the golden state these days? These are the folks who resisted the Kennedy magic in the Democratic primary in 08 then emanating from the late Sen. Ted Kennedy’s endorsement of Obama.

When the Obama campaign attempted to steal the California women’s vote from Hillary Clinton by featuring appearances by Caroline Kennedy, Maria Shriver, and Oprah, the voters turned their backs, and Clinton took the state.

California went to Obama in the general election, but based on this article in the LA Times, the party faithful are not exactly swooning at the president’s feet in the warm up to 2012.

Seema Mehta writes:

President Obama begins a two-day swing through California on Wednesday that underscores the conflicting roles the state plays in presidential politics: Its strong Democratic bent means it will once again be written off by both sides during the 2012 general election, but the trove of supporters here will once again be mined to bolster Obama's efforts elsewhere.

"He doesn't have to campaign here to win," said Jack Pitney, a government professor at Claremont-McKenna College. "He does need to tap the deep resources of Democratic political money, and he needs to inspire volunteers."

Last time around, California donors gave $78 million to Obama's campaign. Tens of thousands of Californians volunteered, phoning voters and flooding crucial swing states such as New Mexico and Nevada.

But Obama faces obstacles that his historic candidacy didn't face four years ago, including a recalcitrant economy and a vein of disenchantment among some of his most passionate supporters.

Read more:

When was the last time you heard a plea for “shared sacrifice” in our national discourse?

FL Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

We’ve all become better acquainted in the past several months with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz as she joined Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in offering strong support to their severely wounded friend, Gabrielle Giffords. Observing their warmth and compassion for Giffords has been inspirational.

And we’ve been reminded that although Giffords has been temporarily sidelined, these three women are all outstanding leaders in the Democratic Party.

In recognition of her leadership skills, President Obama recently picked Wasserman Schultz to be the next chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Obama chose the right person. Her response to his deficit reduction speech yesterday is among the most intelligent, balanced, and thoughtful that I’ve scanned in this morning’s online coverage. I mean, how often in the last decade – in spite of our two wars - have you heard anyone use the phrase, “shared sacrifice?”

Politico’s Jennifer Epstein reports (emphases mine):

In her first interviews since getting the nod last week, the Florida congresswoman said that Obama’s Wednesday speech began to lay out an adult vision of shared sacrifices that stands in sharp contrast to the position that Republicans* have taken.

“The president envisions trying to address our budget deficit and turn the economy around and focus on job creation and not short-circuit our economic recovery,” she said on NBC’s “Today” show. In contrast, “the direction that the Republicans have proposed … is to balance all of the sacrifice on the backs of our seniors, on the backs of our frail elderly.”

Read more:

*I would add, "and many faux liberals as well."