David Plouffe: Left Will Come Home for Democrats
EmailABC News’ Rick Klein reports: President Obama is grappling with growing frustration from among liberal grass-roots, with many of the activists who worked hard for his election a year ago feeling alienated over his handling of health care, Afghanistan, Wall Street reforms, gay rights, and a host of other issues. But, Obama’s 2008 campaign manager said today on ABC’s “Top Line,” liberals will ultimately come back into the fold when it matters in forthcoming elections. “Of course there’s some people upset. But I think, I think people will look at the balance of his leadership to help us lead through the economy — that we finally got health insurance done,” said David Plouffe, the author of a new book about the Obama campaign, “The Audacity to Win.” “By the way, [health care reform is] something we’ve been trying to do for a hundred years, and I think a lot of the first-time voters, our toughest time getting them to vote wasn’t knowing who they were or money or organization; it was their cynicism. And this will say to them, ‘Your vote mattered. This is what hope and change was — was doing something like health insurance.’ ” Asked whether the president needs his liberal base to come back home in next year’s mid-term congressional elections, Plouffe responded: “He’s trying to do the right thing, and I think most Democrats are supportive of what he’s doing. Everyone’s not going to agree with everything he’s doing. But I think, you know, he’s great at having a longer-term strategic approach,” he said. “I think most Democrats are going to see, on the economy, on health care, you know, by next fall we’re going to begin to have our combat troops out of Iraq –something people aren’t focused on. I think that the left of the Democratic Party is going to say, ‘This guy, through his leadership, through his ideas, has done a great job.’ ” Democrats will be in a much better place by next November than many handicappers believe now, Plouffe said: “I will say this, that, you know, as the economy continues to heal, as health care passes and the things the Republicans have told us to fear — ‘death panels,’ loss of doctor choice — don’t happen, I think we may have a stronger hand than people think.” Watch the full discussion with David Plouffe HERE. Also today, we chatted with Susan Page of USA Today about the president’s speech accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, the latest in the health care push, and Sen. Chris Dodd’s reelection chances in Connecticut. On the angst in the liberal grass-roots, Page told us: “I think it’s dangerous for a president to be as out-of-sync with his strongest supporters. You know we saw with President Reagan, you know — he always had that conservative base he could count on. And with Bill Clinton, he had a base of liberals, of African-Americans that never deserted him however bad the times got.” “So I can understand why on something like health care he’s making compromises — he wants to get a deal no matter what. The war in Afghanistan I think is his biggest threat. If his plan for going ahead doesn’t seem to be working, if we continue to have 10s of thousands of American troops there in a war that seems to be becoming a quagmire, that seems to be to be very dangerous for the president in terms of the supporters he needs to count on. You know, Republicans are praising him on Afghanistan now; they won’t stick with him if things start to get bad.” Watch the segment with Susan Page of USA Today HERE.
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The left doesn’t live in the real world. Their ideas indicate that they have never had to actually run anything.
Posted by: Jeff | December 11, 2009, 2:30 pm 2:30 pm
You are right Jeff. Their world is one
of make believe. If they had to deal with
reality, they would not be lefties.
Posted by: wis134 | December 11, 2009, 2:36 pm 2:36 pm
“Their ideas indicate that they have never had to actually run anything.”
What would some of those ideas be?
Posted by: gary | December 11, 2009, 2:53 pm 2:53 pm
Yes, they will because they don’t really have a choice. Much like the “tea party” activists and those on the right the “progressives” are also marginalized in their party.The 2 political parties both serve the same masters, basically and only pay lip service to the “true believers” in their midst when it comes time to “mobilize the base” and “get out the vote”. As soon as they are elected they -quickly- turn to their real master which are the bankers, international corporations, etc.
Posted by: Ed | December 11, 2009, 2:58 pm 2:58 pm
Wealth redistribution is a prime idea pushed by the left. Bringing one person down never brings another up. Wealth redristubution just results in lost jobs, the very thing the lower income people need the most.
Posted by: Jeff | December 11, 2009, 3:16 pm 3:16 pm
Folks. The ideas are not what is wrong here. Differences of opinion when discussed openly and reasonably are what helped forge our country. By excluding one entire party in negotiation and ignoring the complaints of the majority of it’s constituents, this adminstration is doing a huge injustice to our nation.
Posted by: Shane | December 11, 2009, 3:19 pm 3:19 pm
The left is insane, as it always has been. The socialists in nazi germany, the communists in russia, china, vietnam, cambodia etc have led to the MURDERS of 150,000,000 people in the last 100 years, but somehow the left here in America still wants to gov’t to run EVERYTHING.
When will these liberal idiots realize that state planned economies have been a dark cloud over humanity and individual rights through CAPITALISM have been the saving grace?
Posted by: Dave | December 11, 2009, 3:24 pm 3:24 pm
Mr. Plouffe is mistaken. Hope will only carry the left so far. It’s past time to deliver the goods. Just as the far right is in the process of calving off the Republican party, so too might we decide that the Democrats are hopelessly mired in their centrist bog and are incapable of bold progressive action.
Posted by: Yukon Sam | December 11, 2009, 5:22 pm 5:22 pm
We just had 8 years of wealth redistribution. The rich got richer and everyone else got screwed, same thing that happens every time the Republicans are in power.
Who in the Democratic Party is proposing a state planned economy?
Posted by: gary | December 11, 2009, 5:26 pm 5:26 pm
Passing a health bill that will not kick in until 2014 but the taxes for it start right away will really upset a lot of people once they see the down side of it. Plouffe has lots of hope but it will change.
Posted by: earl | December 11, 2009, 6:39 pm 6:39 pm
No we won’t, David. With every day, progressives see that Obama is Republican-lite; George W. Bush with a brain but minus the ignorance and malice. His promises aren’t broken; they’ve evaporated. Wall Street sits on its biggest pile of money ever, funded by the taxpayers they’ve shafted. He sits back and does nothing but hire the people who caused the disaster to guide the theft.
Health care? Laughable at this point. His indifference and back room deals in the name of a “win” while remaining hands off has doomed taxpayers to give billions to the very insurance companies denying them coverage. Incompetence and cruelty are rewarded. Nice job.
Gay rights? DODT? DOMA? Like promising a little girl a pony if she wishes hard enough.
The only amusing part are the right-wing f.ools claiming Obama is a socialist. He’s not even a liberal! He loved the system just the way it is and keeps the big money interests as cozy as possible.
You’ve got a big, big problem next year. And come 2012, no last minute crumbs to look like you care about the little people will fool anyone.
The cynicism you reference has only been cemented by Obama’s actions.
The strategic thinking load is now a joke. The concept that Obama’s strategy is so brilliant that no one but he can understand it is risible.
Strategies require tactics. Strategies are NOT tactics.
Scraping the Obama sticker off my car. It makes me sick.
Posted by: TopJack | December 11, 2009, 7:29 pm 7:29 pm
The headline of this post is unequivocally wrong. Incrementalism is a death wish, and I don’t accept it. Furthermore, Obama sold out to Wall Street. This isn’t even in dispute. What more is there to say, really?
I’ve been a registered Democrat for over 40 years, but I have seen enough. That’s the problem for the establishment now. I don’t have any problem with not coming home.
Posted by: TaosJohn | December 11, 2009, 7:39 pm 7:39 pm
I do not, as Plouffe imagines, think tactical politics. I think about lives enhanced. And lives lost.
And when callous indifference to lives lost reigns, I don’t split hairs trying to ascertain which circle of hell that Democrats occupy vs those Republicans occupy. Call me odd or extreme, but the smell of burnt flesh turns my tummy.
I won’t be ‘coming home’. Those distant relatives are too dangerous.
Posted by: Kevin Hayden | December 12, 2009, 3:16 am 3:16 am
what promise has Obama come through on?
no pork projects – ha!
quality healthcare for all – nope, crappy govn’t healthcare
transparancy – hell no
bipartisanship – what is that?
Obama = liberal Bush. lies, corruption, spending, shredding the constitution. conservatives get screwed again.
Posted by: StarveTheBeast | December 12, 2009, 9:37 am 9:37 am
i’m officially looking out for a people’s hero for 2012. And i meant a real hero and not one that sounds and talk like a hero but has little experience or results to show for it. i’m open to both party but less likely to look to the democrats since i have seen what a liberal agenda can do to a country already hurting in so many ways. Repubs, independents, tea party people and libertarian…come on out, i’m interviewing for the next people’s president of the usa. By the way, anyone who’s interested in being the world’s most beloved person need not apply.
Posted by: cowen | December 12, 2009, 10:16 am 10:16 am
sorry David. I voted for change, not republican lite policies.
I wont be voting for the lesser of 2 corporate evils again.
Let the chips fall where they may.
Posted by: mrsb | December 12, 2009, 10:51 am 10:51 am
And with those words about the great healthcare boondoggle, Plouffe demonstrates a total disconnect with the reality that most of us live with. I am a member of what he would call the left. What they are passing is nothing more than a giveaway to insurance companies, no matter how they try to portray it. The left is waking up to that and the fact that Obama’s escalating in Afghanistan instead of pulling out of the mideast and those who pay attention to policies are getting angrier by the day. Those who are fans of Obama (a minority), like fans of Bush II, are unlikely to ever wake up.
Unless Obama changes his ways 180 degrees, he better not count on the left voting for him again and in fact, he should probably consider the likelihood that 2010 is going to result in a rather drastic electoral upheaval in Congress.
Posted by: jan | December 12, 2009, 11:03 am 11:03 am
read his words back too him in 2010 and 2012,when they’re in the unemployment line.
Posted by: your mama | December 12, 2009, 12:36 pm 12:36 pm
The “trust” is long gone, David, & we are never “coming home” to Obama!
Posted by: truth2power | December 12, 2009, 4:47 pm 4:47 pm
Obama thinks he can take it from the Have’s and give it to the have not’s… It does not work that way. The Have’s will just stop working so hard and blend into the middle class. The have not’s will get pushed down even further. Pushed down and out into the street.
Posted by: Mike Jones | January 23, 2010, 3:39 pm 3:39 pm
While Obama needs his liberal base, it is the moderates that hold the real power. It is among that group that Obama is suffering the most and why Tuesday was a disaster for dems. If Obama remains tone deaf to the majority of the electorite (the independents) the will lose big in November.
There are several progressive posters I see commenting here about how Obama is too far right… you people have to know how small a minority you are. The type of president you all want to see would only recieve support from less the 10% of the electorite, that would probably be a generous estimate.
The left had a once in a lifetime chance to bring progressive change (the past year), but that time is up. The moderates have no illusions about Obama anymore and will oppose him more and more frequently.
Posted by: Robert | January 23, 2010, 3:48 pm 3:48 pm
It wasn’t a good idea then and not
a good idea now. What is he not under-
standing? If you want to win in 2010
and 2012 how about getting people back
to work and getting your money grubbing
hands out of the pockets of hard
working Americans.
Posted by: wis134 | January 23, 2010, 4:33 pm 4:33 pm
I think we need to raise taxes on everyone are they not a good thing. I think people who have more children then they can afford should be supported by the rest of us dont you. I think Obama is right reward bad behavior.Those rich people should bay more dont you they fact that they are smarter should be punished right.they spend money more wisley dont have a buch of kids they cant afford.I think octamama should have a holiday named after her.Just something to think about.
Posted by: Ron | January 23, 2010, 4:41 pm 4:41 pm