Will Obama Destroy The Brand?

Richard Nixon permanently damaged the Republican brand. It was during the mid to late 70's that Red States turned blue. It had less to do with Jimmy Carter's charm than it had to do with the public's disgust with a corrupt and arrogant political party. Republican political careers were collateral damage. A lot of good people just stood too close to the disgraced president.

Obama might yet destroy the Democratic brand. 2010 was the most lopsided set of elections in US History. The GOP picked up 60 seats but they could have picked up dozens more. They captured state house after state house. Every election was a referendum on Obama.

By any standard, the Obama Administration has a poor economic record. By election day they will have inflated the national debt by about fifty per cent and we will have nothing to show for it. In fact, most economic indicators are worse than 2008 and much worse than 2006 when the Dems took control.

Since 2011 Obama has blamed Congress for all of the country's ills. That works with the party base but it does not elevate the president in other voters' eyes. The White House's attacks have been snide and not always accurate. Whereas negative attacks do indeed damage the target, to a lesser extent they damage the attacker. The Obama image has been reshaped by the constant drip drip drip of venom. That cheery hope and change icon has morphed into a gargoyle.

Obama's approval ratings have gone downhill without much help from the media. Just wait till the attack ads start. They were sorely missed in 2008. If the Repubs just attack O's record, it will be bad for the incumbent. But it won't just be his record this time around. There is a simmering resentment stemming from the media's treatment of Sarah Palin and Herman Cain. The grass roots will sharpen their claws (love mixed metaphor.)

We know Obama has a glass jaw. If the peasants just stick to the issues, Obama has a rainy day ahead. If any of a dozen scandals goes into Watergate mode, the Dems have a Cat 5 on their hands. If they covered up something that should have never been covered up, it's going to be a tsunami in Donkeyland.

To review, 2010 was a bloodbath without any tawdry scandals. Throw Larry Sinclair, John Drew, Philip Berg, a suspicion-generating social security number, and a dozen or so other cover-ups (that the Dems helped cover-up) and we have a landmark election that could shape the political topography for decades to come.

Hope and change.