Are liberals hurting Obama’s chances for 2012?
Since the Republicans gained control in the U.S. House of Representatives and in many states in 2010, the far right has overreached at every level, from local government all the way to national politics.
Conservatives have been at odds with labor, women and even the Girl Scouts. States that have Republican major ities have gone from extreme to nuclear, pushing for draconian legislation requiring women to undergo ultrasounds before getting abortions and voters to present id cards before casting their ballots; going to war with school teachers and firefighters by trying to cut their pensions.
The potential Republican nominees showed they were not bluffing with their right-wing shenanigans. It was sad to see nominee Mitt Romney, who governed as a moderate in Massachusetts, go further to the right by saying immigrants should deport themselves.
One would think that with all the evidence of what Republicans will do if they win in November, Obama should win by a landslide. However, many polls say it is a statistical tie while Romney is gaining momentum.
Armed with a war chest of cash from super PACs and wealthy supporters, the Republicans are trying to make Romney palatable as president. Meanwhile, they are trying to bamboozle people into believing they can fix the economy and create jobs with the same old trickledown theories that caused the economy to falter in the first place.
However, the main reason why Obama may lose is because of high society liberals of his base. It is hard to watch– the path to victory should be simple: say or do nothing that upsets swing voters. Just sit by and let the Republicans show what they stand for:anti-everything but tax cuts for a few billionaires.
But instead of being quiet, liberals want to go wild with issues that even make moderates and independents uncomfortable. While issues such as gay marriage may energize the far left, President Obama may be in deep excrement with the religious community and swing voters who vote on social issues. It is because of latte-sipping limousine liberals from New York and California putting pressure on our president either by criticizing him or by forcing him to make risky political calculations that energize Republicans and drive a wedge with his more conservative supporters such as myself.
I know many liberals, and they are passionate about issues like protecting the environment, gender equality and gay rights. However, I believe many have romantic ideal of politics. They abhor wealth, ridicule any form of god and believe you should eat granola and disdain Big Macs.
However, like right-wing extremism, liberalism is also flawed. Liberals have a hard time grasping that politics is not about virtue and equality. In order to get your concerns met you need tact and strategy. I often hear lefties whine that Obama has not addressed their concerns. While criticizing Obama may make a few liberals feel good, their grumbling is driving a wedge with moderates and independents. Do liberals think that if Romney’s elected he is going to champion their cause?
Earlier this year researchers at Gallup reported that 40 percent of Americans described their views as conservative while only 35 percent called their outlooks moderate, and just 21 percent said their views were liberal. What liberals need to understand is that they are outnumbered; the rest of the country is not multicultural like New York and California. Swing states like Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina may now go to Romney.
I supported Obama in 2008, even though I consider myself more conservative than liberal on many issues. My anger with Obama is that it was the poor and the minorities who tipped the scale for his victory last election. He has been negligent on addressing issues that affect the poor and minority voters who helped him win last election in order to pander to the gay community and high-society liberals who donate money. America needs a life raft, and these sidebar issues like gay marriage and requiring religious organizations to offer insurance coverage for contraception have distracted what many Americans are concerned with: higher wages, better living conditions and jobs.
Obama doesn’t need to go out on a limb to please liberals. It would energize voters to see him stand up to his liberal base. If he loses, it will be because of latte-drinking liberals who are more interested in their causes than the cause of many Americans.
