Will President Obama be Reelected?

He lied. He kept some promises he made during the campaign, but he has a) increased our military in Afghanistan knowing that most Americans are against that war, b) he rushed through his universal health plan that was poorly planned 1) didn't implement efficiencies to cut cost, 2) imposed fees of $2,500 per employee for employers who didn't provide health insurance (many may pay the $2,500 penalty, and let the government pay the premiums), 3) will add 31-million more patients to our health system that's already stretched to max, 4) didn't plan for the increase demand for health workers, and 5) it will cause shortages for all.
c. He promised transparency, but broke that promise. d. He promised to increase jobs; where are they? e. He bailed out wall street and forgot main street. 1) his bailouts were implemented in a sloppy way that didn't control how it should be spent or paid back. 2) he bailed out the auto companies, but forgot all the small businesses that produces most of the jobs in this country

I don't trust a president who doesn't know how to manage spending, and one who lies.

Far far too early to tell.....................................

He had not been able to walk on water either and I am sure that the GOP will come up with someone far better in 2 plus years.....

LOL

I don't think so.

Whether for his list of promises he couldn't possibly keep, the dumped-on-him list of crisis' that have no painless resolution, his platform for changes (wherein many are such that the U.S. simply isnt' ready yet), or the easily-spread propaganda of the right wing - I just don't see it happening. Its a bit sad, because I believe that under the right circumstances he might have been an agent for an excellent batch of change.

Such as things are, much if it isn't likely to be realized.

There are a few possibilities. Right now his approval rating is at an all time low. IMO, he has fallen far short of his campaign promises, and has done some things that really piss off even his own constituents. It is possible that he will step down, if the Democrats can find a person whom they think can win.

The same goes for the Republicans. They need a dynamo who would be attractive to most Republicans, and some conservative Democrats. Right now I don't see anyone "in the wings" who could beat Obama in the next presidential election. The problem is that the Republicans are so diverse in their views, and as you know, you can't please everybody.

diverse? The republicans believe in tax reduction for the rich, less government interferance in big business. The same policies that regan and bush and clinton used to put our economy in its tailspin. Im not happy with Obama but I dont see a republican that I would vote for as dog catcher. All the republican party knows how to do is no to anything the democrats prepose.

Anything is possible. George W got re-elected. Didn't he?

I can't really evaluate this question without knowing who the GOP will put against Obama.

I think this is where the real question resides. I don't think Obama has done poorly, but I don't think his performance has earned a great deal of enthusiasm either. Based on that, the GOP has done well to wound his administration, but has been otherwise ineffective at coming up with anything (read: "anyone") to be the legitimate face of opposition. The Tea Party hurt Obama, but they didn't really help the GOP nationally speaking.

This won't be Hector versus Achilles at the Trojan gates.

I think the 2012 election will be waged in terms of proxy issues less involving the candidates themselves. The 2004 election got Bush in on social issues like gay marriage, and cast the shadow over GWB's performance. This compounded with the passionless campaign of Kerry made for a winable campaign for Bush. Bush had been giving victory speeches on Aircraft carriers, and people probably didn't not foresee that 6 years later we would still be in Iraq and Afghanistan. If in 2012, there are issues more dramatic than the candidates themselves, I think that it's up in the air.

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That said, I am currently still voting for Obama.

I believe that he likely will be re-elected. Those who complain about his approval ratings being low don't realize that his ratings are very typical amongst recent presidents at this point in their terms.

The real reason he'll get sent back to Washington, tho, is the fact that the GOP has nobody to run against him. Nobody who can touch him. If there were a really strong candidate out there, I'd be more worried. But they have who, Newt? Mitt? Palin, for god's sake?

Cycloptichorn

Sad but true; our choices seem to be between bad and worse bad, but the American voter just doesn't understand what our country needs as a leader.

Most political positions are bought and sold like luxury items without any regard to its quality.

Wouldent it be wonderful if they ran Palin?

I believe even those of us who aren't even religious pray for that. The tea party and Palin will surely screw up things for the GOP.

A speaker on the NPR Weekend Edition this morning said that the Republicans are meeting the Democrats with no ideas, lest the Repubs give the Dems the opportunity to criticize them.

I see no personality rising in either party.

Here's a thought: does the omnipresence of the media prevent individual personalities from coming to the fore? To clarify: are people expected to speak and act in a certain way?

I think so, absolutely.

Thinking about it, almost anything one can say - no matter how innocuous - can be spun to mean or imply something horrible by an opponent. Thus we end up with politicians (or political hopefuls) whose public words are filled with either vague generalities, non-descript cliches or "I'm with you whomever you are!"-kind of talk. Its only when the mic's off that, I think, the true person comes bursting through.

People vote. People are also vulnerable to spins, slants and "My Party!"-rhetoric - without realizing it, I believe people also choose their leaders much like they choose their breakfast cereal ("Hey, this looks good!") without diving in any deeper; besides, who can wade through all the muck, propaganda, slams, mudslinging and spins to find 'the truth' - would we know it even if we saw it? I think politicians know this; that their future employment relies on sounding just like their constituents/potential constituents think they should. Why else might we get decade after decade of broken campaign promises?

So hell yea; I think media-presence greatly influences what they say. Add to this the disgustingly-adversarial political environment we have - where each sound byte becomes a potential boon or bane - and one arrives at a place where almost nothing publicly said has substance or that aura of genuineness.

"Vague generalities" that are usually based to incite fear, because politicians know it works.

my idea of the ultimate ending for the 2012 election

Obama wins, the Mayans are right and the republicans can confidently view the end of the world as Obama's fault

Palin wins, the Mayans are right and the democrats can confidently view the end of the world as Palin's fault

the upside of either equation, the world ends and the nobody ever has to deal with American politics ever again

Strangely I had not as yet taken note that such countries as Australia, the UK, Canada or France is any better or saner in that regards.

One of my very favorite country is Trinidad where the president had a shotgun held to his head on national TV and the group and it leader not only was not try but they turn around and sue the government for millions and won.

Then you have not been paying attention