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The NOT Obama Democrats — by Newt Gingrich
Newsmax
Newt Gingrich
5/24/2012
Excerpt:
"A new phenomenon has begun to develop. There is clear evidence of the emergence of a "NOT Obama" wing of the Democratic Party.
This NOT Obama wing is emerging both at the grass roots and among elected officials in response to Obama's more radical policies.
Consider first the grass-roots rebellion under way against the president. The first big signal was the 41 percent of the vote Keith Judd won in the West Virginia Democratic primary. Here was a convicted felon sitting in a Texas federal prison with a 17 1/2-year sentence for extortion. When West Virginia Democrats prefer a convicted felon to the president, they are showing they are "NOT Obama Democrats."
This week the depth of the NOT Obama Democrats was further revealed when John Wolfe got 41 percent of the vote in the Arkansas primary. Wolfe, an attorney whose platform includes repealing Obamacare, actually won 36 counties against Obama's 39 counties.
The same day, “uncommitted” got 42 percent in Kentucky and actually carried a majority of the counties (66 counties to 54 Obama counties).
This 42 percent is the same percentage Eugene McCarthy got against President Lyndon Johnson in New Hampshire in 1968, and at that time it was considered an earthquake to have that many Democrats repudiate their own president.
Earlier, on March 6, Obama got only 57 percent in Oklahoma, losing 43 percent of the vote to four opponents. He lost in 15 counties and anti-abortion activist Terry Randall actually won a delegate while beating Obama in 12 rural counties.
This is the first time in 32 years that a sitting president has lost 40 percent or more of the vote in three primary elections.
This largely rural rebellion is being augmented by an increasing number of elected Democrats who are rejecting Obama's positions.
The first big break came when Obama ignored the 62 percent pro-traditional marriage vote in North Carolina and promptly endorsed gay marriage. Democrats immediately began separating themselves from Obama.
Sen. Jon Tester of Montana had his spokeswoman say "in Montana, a marriage is defined as between a man and a woman."
Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri refused to endorse the president's position and restated her commitment to marriage between a man and a woman.
Ron Barber, a Democrat running for Gabrielle Giffords’ House seat in Arizona, was asked during a debate who he will vote for in November and refused to name Obama.
In North Dakota, Democrat Heidi Heitkamp, who is seeking to replace retiring Sen. Kent Conrad, told The Associated Press that Obama has “failed in the one test America had for him, which was to unite the country.”
Analysts could write off this rise of the NOT Obama Democrats as a rural, small-town phenomenon, except for the dramatic rebellion against Obama’s attack on Bain Capital and private equity.
When Democratic Mayor Cory Booker of Newark says he is "very uncomfortable with" the attacks, there is an urban component of the rejection of Obamaism.
Former Rep. Harold Ford of Tennessee said "private equity is a good thing in many, many instances."
Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, one of Obama's closest allies, said flatly that Bain is "not a bad company."
Former Pennsylvania Gov. (and former Democratic National Committee Chairman) Ed Rendell said he found the Obama attacks "very disappointing."
The combination of economic failure, high unemployment, massive deficits, weakness in national security, and radical policies is beginning to undermine what had been up to now a pretty unified Democratic Party.
If the NOT Obama Democrats continue to grow as a movement, they could have a decisive effect on the fall campaign.
If you were running for the House or Senate in states like West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky, or Oklahoma, would you want to have President Obama campaign for you?
As Sens. Tester and McCaskill have shown, Montana and Missouri could rapidly become NOT Obama states. North Dakota and Nebraska are moving that way.
A little more policy radicalism and/or a little more economic failure and the NOT Obama Democrats could emerge as a very important phenomenon for the 2012 election.
If the campaign continues in this direction, we may discover that the NOT Obama Democrats will evolve into Romney Democrats by Election Day."
.............................................
View the complete article at:
http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/ging...5/24/id/440234
Newsmax
Newt Gingrich
5/24/2012
Excerpt:
"A new phenomenon has begun to develop. There is clear evidence of the emergence of a "NOT Obama" wing of the Democratic Party.
This NOT Obama wing is emerging both at the grass roots and among elected officials in response to Obama's more radical policies.
Consider first the grass-roots rebellion under way against the president. The first big signal was the 41 percent of the vote Keith Judd won in the West Virginia Democratic primary. Here was a convicted felon sitting in a Texas federal prison with a 17 1/2-year sentence for extortion. When West Virginia Democrats prefer a convicted felon to the president, they are showing they are "NOT Obama Democrats."
This week the depth of the NOT Obama Democrats was further revealed when John Wolfe got 41 percent of the vote in the Arkansas primary. Wolfe, an attorney whose platform includes repealing Obamacare, actually won 36 counties against Obama's 39 counties.
The same day, “uncommitted” got 42 percent in Kentucky and actually carried a majority of the counties (66 counties to 54 Obama counties).
This 42 percent is the same percentage Eugene McCarthy got against President Lyndon Johnson in New Hampshire in 1968, and at that time it was considered an earthquake to have that many Democrats repudiate their own president.
Earlier, on March 6, Obama got only 57 percent in Oklahoma, losing 43 percent of the vote to four opponents. He lost in 15 counties and anti-abortion activist Terry Randall actually won a delegate while beating Obama in 12 rural counties.
This is the first time in 32 years that a sitting president has lost 40 percent or more of the vote in three primary elections.
This largely rural rebellion is being augmented by an increasing number of elected Democrats who are rejecting Obama's positions.
The first big break came when Obama ignored the 62 percent pro-traditional marriage vote in North Carolina and promptly endorsed gay marriage. Democrats immediately began separating themselves from Obama.
Sen. Jon Tester of Montana had his spokeswoman say "in Montana, a marriage is defined as between a man and a woman."
Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri refused to endorse the president's position and restated her commitment to marriage between a man and a woman.
Ron Barber, a Democrat running for Gabrielle Giffords’ House seat in Arizona, was asked during a debate who he will vote for in November and refused to name Obama.
In North Dakota, Democrat Heidi Heitkamp, who is seeking to replace retiring Sen. Kent Conrad, told The Associated Press that Obama has “failed in the one test America had for him, which was to unite the country.”
Analysts could write off this rise of the NOT Obama Democrats as a rural, small-town phenomenon, except for the dramatic rebellion against Obama’s attack on Bain Capital and private equity.
When Democratic Mayor Cory Booker of Newark says he is "very uncomfortable with" the attacks, there is an urban component of the rejection of Obamaism.
Former Rep. Harold Ford of Tennessee said "private equity is a good thing in many, many instances."
Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, one of Obama's closest allies, said flatly that Bain is "not a bad company."
Former Pennsylvania Gov. (and former Democratic National Committee Chairman) Ed Rendell said he found the Obama attacks "very disappointing."
The combination of economic failure, high unemployment, massive deficits, weakness in national security, and radical policies is beginning to undermine what had been up to now a pretty unified Democratic Party.
If the NOT Obama Democrats continue to grow as a movement, they could have a decisive effect on the fall campaign.
If you were running for the House or Senate in states like West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky, or Oklahoma, would you want to have President Obama campaign for you?
As Sens. Tester and McCaskill have shown, Montana and Missouri could rapidly become NOT Obama states. North Dakota and Nebraska are moving that way.
A little more policy radicalism and/or a little more economic failure and the NOT Obama Democrats could emerge as a very important phenomenon for the 2012 election.
If the campaign continues in this direction, we may discover that the NOT Obama Democrats will evolve into Romney Democrats by Election Day."
.............................................
View the complete article at:
http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/ging...5/24/id/440234