My continued dissatisfaction with Barack Obama's leadership - or more accurately the total lack thereof - is the topic for another post. That said, it is interesting how many of the GOP governors swept into office in 2010 may prove to be among the best campaign boosters for Obama in 2012. Their combination of arrogance, lack of concern for the poor and unemployed and efforts to benefit the most wealthy seem to be alienating moderates and energizing Democrats in ways that few campaigns can accomplish. Granted, much can change between now and November 2012, but somehow I don't see governors like Wisconsin's Scott Walker and Florida's Rick Scott allowing any checks on their hubris or extremism. All of which bodes well for Obama. A story in the Washington Post looks at the phenomenon and here are some highlights:*
The sluggish economy and stubborn joblessness are being heralded — or lamented, depending on your perspective — as the chief reasons that President Obama will face a tough reelection campaign. The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll had Obama getting low marks on his handling of the economy . . .
*
But there is another indicator of Obama’s prospects, one that may boost his chances in the key swing states that will determine the 2012 electoral majority: the deep and growing unpopularity of the Republican governors and state legislatures.
*
Republican governors such as Kasich, Scott and Walker — usually with the avid support of GOP-dominated legislatures — have deployed combative policies and politics, promoting confrontation and eschewing compromise, cutting benefits for the poor and middle class while adding tax breaks for the rich, and in many cases trying to eliminate or at least cripple collective bargaining by public employees. Those tactics have energized the Democratic base, certainly, but even more significant, they have turned off independent voters.
*
Things are likely to get worse for Republican governors. Raising taxes is not an option, and the only areas left for meaningful budget reductions are education, Medicaid and prisons. At the national level, the Republican House is intent on further reducing states’ margin for error with dramatic cuts on the table for Medicaid, including its largest components: long-term care for the elderly and aid for the most seriously disabled. . . . . And many Republican governors who try to change their messages and policies will face the wrath of their tea party bases.
*
In swing states, any GOP presidential candidate will have to convince voters that he or she has the best plan to improve the economy. The only problem is that every Republican contender supports the same types of economic policies that have driven GOP governors into a ditch.
*
[I]f the economy continues to falter, Obama will have plenty to explain himself. . . . Nonetheless, the huge Republican victories in the states in 2010, along with the immense hubris they brought to the winning governors, has had a serious down side, there to be exploited to the hilt by Obama’s reelection campaign.*
The sluggish economy and stubborn joblessness are being heralded — or lamented, depending on your perspective — as the chief reasons that President Obama will face a tough reelection campaign. The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll had Obama getting low marks on his handling of the economy . . .
*
But there is another indicator of Obama’s prospects, one that may boost his chances in the key swing states that will determine the 2012 electoral majority: the deep and growing unpopularity of the Republican governors and state legislatures.
*
Republican governors such as Kasich, Scott and Walker — usually with the avid support of GOP-dominated legislatures — have deployed combative policies and politics, promoting confrontation and eschewing compromise, cutting benefits for the poor and middle class while adding tax breaks for the rich, and in many cases trying to eliminate or at least cripple collective bargaining by public employees. Those tactics have energized the Democratic base, certainly, but even more significant, they have turned off independent voters.
*
Things are likely to get worse for Republican governors. Raising taxes is not an option, and the only areas left for meaningful budget reductions are education, Medicaid and prisons. At the national level, the Republican House is intent on further reducing states’ margin for error with dramatic cuts on the table for Medicaid, including its largest components: long-term care for the elderly and aid for the most seriously disabled. . . . . And many Republican governors who try to change their messages and policies will face the wrath of their tea party bases.
*
In swing states, any GOP presidential candidate will have to convince voters that he or she has the best plan to improve the economy. The only problem is that every Republican contender supports the same types of economic policies that have driven GOP governors into a ditch.
*
[I]f the economy continues to falter, Obama will have plenty to explain himself. . . . Nonetheless, the huge Republican victories in the states in 2010, along with the immense hubris they brought to the winning governors, has had a serious down side, there to be exploited to the hilt by Obama’s reelection campaign.*
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