Matt Stoler's new article is titled "What Democrats can do about Obama" and is one of the best pundit articles I have written all year.
http://www.salon.com/...
To sum it up first, he talks about how weak the Democratic party has become under Obama. Democrats were at the top of the world in 2008, with big majorities in the House, Senate, and governorships and most state legislatures. Once Obama became President and started all of his "lets work together with Republicans" BS, it all came apart.
He starts with how awful this summer has been for Obama:
From the debt ceiling fiasco to the recent rescheduling of a jobs speech at the behest of Speaker Boehner, it has not been a good summer for President Obama. Like Chinese water torture, Gallup's daily tracking poll has shown a steady and unrelenting drip of bad news. He has been in and out of the high 30s for his approval, and in the low to mid-50s for his disapproval.
George W. Bush's approval rating didn't drop this low until Katrina hit. And on the economy, 71 percent of Americans disapprove of how Obama is doing his job. Even among reliably Democratic groups -- union households, women and young people -- he's now unpopular.
Here is where he really hits the nail on the head:
Obama has ruined the Democratic Party. The 2010 wipeout was an electoral catastrophe so bad you'd have to go back to 1894 to find comparable losses. From 2008 to 2010, according to Gallup, the fastest growing demographic party label was former Democrat. Obama took over the party in 2008 with 36 percent of Americans considering themselves Democrats. Within just two years, that number had dropped to 31 percent, which tied a 22-year low.
This is what I have said all along and please stop blaming the economy. FDR came in during a horrible economy and actually GAINED seats in his first midterm election. It will take decades to rebuild the Democratic party after Obama.
I have long compared Obama to Grover Cleveland. It appears that others are picking up on the similarities.
Today, it's clear that certain Democratic constituency groups -- unions especially -- are on their deathbed. A reinvigoration of debate over the nature of the American workplace is desperately needed, yet labor leaders seem to prefer supplicating quietly to politicians who betray them. This is not inevitable. People can show dignity.
And its was Obama's sitting on his hands in 2010 that allowed Republicans to win all of these governorships and state legislatures. Where was OFA in helping Democrats in 2010?
I wish I could say I was optimistic that party leaders will step forward and start the debate Democratic voters need. As for many, the last few years have shattered my faith in the political process. Obama has basically endorsed every major plank of George Bush's administration, yet Democrats still grant their approval. What we're finding out is that Obama's pathologically pro-establishment and conflict-averse DNA was funded by party insiders and embraced by liberal constituency groups in 2008 for a reason.
Amen. From extending the Bush tax cuts, to trying to raise the Medicare age with Boehner to 67, Democrats have done nothing to revolt against these disgusting policies. My faith in the political process is shattered too.