cnn answers it's own question....Will Obama's coattails help or hurt in the midterms?

[spanone]

it appears cnn has made up it's mind


'With his loss Tuesday, Sen. Arlen Specter became the latest high-profile candidate President Obama couldn't save.'


http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/19/obama.effect/index.html?hpt=C1

[polichick]

1. Does he have coattails? nt

[spanone]

2. evidently

[polichick]

3. Actually this time around it wasn't so evident...

Also not evident in MA, NJ or VA.

[Rex]

4. Specter is a Repuke in sheep's clothing.

The M$M is just mad that they couldn't find ANYTHING to pin on Obama before the president al election. They SOOOO wanted to be the ones to create more Clinton-gate style propaganda.

[saracat]

5. Obama has NO coattails. Lots of DC Dems are talking about that.

I know several Dem candidates that are staying far away from him.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

9. NO MODERN PRESIDENT has coattails midterm. Not a one.

This is simply quo, status-styled.

[Uzybone]

11. Pretty amazing how foolish the blogosphere and media has become

one would think that presidents routinely gained seats in the midterms and that Obama is the exception.

[Radical Activist]

6. Specter and Lincoln were watering down Obama's proposed legislation.

Yesterday's primaries were a reaffirmation of what people voted for in 2008. So that's hard to interpret as being anti-Obama.

[polichick]

8. That's pretty much spin, since Obama endorsed them and made ads for them...

Yes, the people reaffimed what they voted for in 2008 - and that is a needed reminder for the prez.

[Radical Activist]

10. And you accuse me of spin as you spin.

You're projecting your behaviors onto others just like Rush Limbaugh does.

I care about passing a progressive agenda more than I care about taking pot shots at Obama. It's not Obama who needed the reminder. He didn't stop fighting for what he campaigned on. He was forced to compromise in the Senate to get anything done. The House passed his top priorities close to what he proposed. The Senate has been the roadblock all along. It's very sad that you can't stop attacking Obama long enough to celebrate this as a victory for progressives AND Obama's agenda.

[polichick]

12. Nice try, but I'm not the one who's projecting. You assume that Obama's agenda...

...is the same as the progressive agenda - if that were true he wouldn't have cut that deal with big pharma or left the healthcare bill in the hands of people like Baucus, and he wouldn't have endorsed Blanche Lincoln.

[Radical Activist]

13. When did this "deal" happen?

Was it after the House passed a more liberal version of HCR with Obama's support? Was it in the Senate, which is more moderate than the House and Obama? What does that tell you? Think hard.
It SHOULD tell you that moving the Senate left brings it closer to where Obama is, even if you don't think Obama is left enough. That would be a very obvious, non-spin WIN for Obama's agenda.

[polichick]

14. Perhaps it's you who needs to "think hard" - and while you're at it WAKE UP...

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/feature/2009/08/10/pharma

btw, it's also not part of the progressive agenda to expand offshore drilling, fake "clean" coal or nuclear energy. And let's not even begin with war powers - or the wars themselves.

I'm thrilled about yesterday's progressive wins - just hoping the reminder will get the prez on board.

[Radical Activist]

15. Even a child can understand the concept of compromise.

It's not that hard. Senate moves left = Obama gets more of his agenda passed. yay! be happy!

[polichick]

18. You don't BEGIN negotiations by taking things off the table...

The sad truth is, Obama's agenda has not been the same as the progressive agenda - sometimes not even very close. Perhaps this vote will help to change that.

[DividedWeAre]

7. i think the coattail story is moot point

The biggest problem that i see is that the networks don't really have a decent coattail story. This movement has not played itself out yet. Obama, the change-agent will fare OK in the "throw them out" climate. But everyone else who has a job in Washington is now a target. Too bad for them.. they had a chance to step up and make some real change but NOOOOOOOOOOO, they played it safe. None of them, Democrat or Republican, are safe now. And CNN ??? they tried to cater to both sides instead of staying neutral and now neither side trusts them. If we did not need real change so badly, it would be funny.

[treestar]

16. The idea is stupid, in terms of Democratic primaries

Voters don't care what the President thinks about a local primary.

[Unvanguard]

17. In liberal states like California and Connecticut, probably.

Where Democrats face serious challengers in less friendly ground, probably not.