To be honest I didn't like the whole "Obama who?" theme of

[okieinpain]

this election cycle, I wonder how many other african-americans felt the same. I voted but a part of me is kinda laughing at all of the crying when those same folks would not give the man credit for anything.

[Mike Nelson]

1. Me, neither...

...but I'm "white" and I am not sure that distinction matters with most people here.

[JoePhilly]

2. As a white guy ...

... I'm right there with you.

If Obama was white, we'd be personally carving his face on mount Rushmore.

We haven't supported the guy, and now we get a GOP controlled congress.

Dopes.

[vi5]

3. It's no different than any second term mid-term election.

Go through Free Republic archives and I'm sure they were saying the same thing in 2006 about "Why did our candidates run away from Bush!!!!" even though his approval ratings were in the tank.

Presidents are usual unpopular at this point in their second term (if they get them), and their party usually distances themselves from them.

We were saying the same thing about Gore and lots of Democratic candidates in 2000 as well. It's nothing specific to Obama and nothing specific to race.

[maced666]

4. And 24/7 anti-Obama ads.

That ending up - working.

[fadedrose]

8. The republicans took their cues

and would never have criticized him so much if it hadn't been started by the Democrats - the important ones - who write books and do interviews, and more or less betrayed the president they served...

How can the blacks, especially, and others, criticize the reps for their unfair president-bashing without the original bashing coming from his own party....

The Dems started it....I don't feel sorry for the ones who lost. I feel sorry for us.

[deutsey]

5. There was actually a campaign ad for a local GOP candidate

that proudly showed a picture of her standing with George W. Bush.

[fadedrose]

6. The whole "Obama who" thing started with me

when he appeared on 60 Minutes when HC was leaving her job. He never did this before and hasn't since, I never understood why he did and still don't, but things started to go sour.

The "united" criticism (Clinton, Manetta, Carter, Generals, etc) by Democrats of Obama emboldened the republicans and they went overboard with the theme. The chant that Obama was a failed president became louder and louder by both parties...

Anybody care to explain that to me, because I thought Obama made his decisions based on thought and facts.

I still like him, always will, and feel that his party done him in.

[okieinpain]

7. i agree. it just felt like dems were going through the motions

and not really campaigning. low unemployment numbers, even the quarterly gdp numbers were good, yet all I saw was "Obama who?". I understand he wasn't popular but the people that he is not popular with weren't going to vote dem anyway.

I'm really not surprised by this so-called wave, even though i don't know how you call it a wave and the turnout is super low. I've seen the total voters for oklahoma was somewhere around 34 percent of registered voters. I'm sorry but that is not the will of the people.