Primary Challenge in 2012?

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell thinks Obama may face a primary challenge Obama in 2012. I can't say I'd be surprised.

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell predicted on Tuesday that if the president escalates America's military involvement in Afghanistan he could very well face a primary challenger in 2012.

In an overlooked "Morning Joe" segment on Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Democrat offered his distinct brand of eccentric, conversation-driving political foresight. He couched his statement about the possibility of a primary challenge by stressing that if Obama sticks to his current plans for Afghanistan -- a reduced military presence beginning in July of 2011 -- there would not be political insurrection within the party.

If Rendell's analysis is correct, and unhappiness among Democrats arises from a delayed withdrawal from Afghanistan, the challenge would most likely come from the left.  On the other hand, if Dan Reihl is on the money the challenge will come from Hillary.

The wedges for a deep Democrat split are in place. A disaster in 2010 isn't going to do much to dislodge them. Grab your popcorn. We may not have seen the last of Hillary Clinton. Meanwhile, Obama has been forced to rely on Bill Clinton for some very visible help. No one is better positioned to hurt Obama than political iceberg Bill Clinton. They may well be beginning to re-arrange the deck chairs on Obama's sinking ship of state, aka the Titanic. Wow. What a bouyant thought!

I've had my money on Hillary since last February.

If Democrat leaders diligently follow the Clinton team prescription, by the time November 2010 rolls around they will be intensely unpopular. The tea party faithful will be incensed and motivated, and the left can expect to get an historic shellacking on Election Day.

But Hillary will have no connection to that defeat. She stands ready to step in as that New Democrat Lanny Davis is looking for. By opposing the far left of her party she might even tap into tea party outrage at the leftist assault on our liberties, our health care, and our free market economy. She could offer herself to tea party independents as the New Democrat alternative to a return to Republican rule.

Hillary Clinton will be running for president.

Comments

[Matt]

Obama is a poor President.

Unfortunately, he came after the only 2-term President in the history of America to the leave with the DOW lower than when he came in.

Obviously, Obama being a poor President, is better than Bush, who was an horrendous President.

"Better" of course, is a comparison operator. It does not actually mena "good." But with deceptive language, one can use the word "better" to indicate that someone is "good" or "excellent" and therefore deserves 2 terms.

The Republicans, in their decrepit and vapidly partisan state, will continue to argue that Bush was a "good" President -- or at least "above average."

Since everybody but the most vapid Republican partisan knows that Obama is "better" than Bush, the current inept Republican Party will continue to make arguments whose only logical conclusions will be that Obama is "better" than "above average" and therefore deserves 2 terms -- which of course is not the case.