President Obama to campaign hard this election season for those who had supported his measures the p - Polidicks

[quote]Expect to see a whole lot of President Barack Obama this campaign season as he works to spell out what he sees as the stakes in the 2016 election and tries to defend his legacy. As he approaches the end of his term in the midst of an election year that has been defined by heated, often controversial rhetoric coming from the leading Republican candidates, like GOP front-runner Donald Trump, the President is vowing to do all he can to make sure a Democrat replaces him at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. [B]He also wants to retake the Senate and win more seats in the House of Representatives.[/B] [B]So far, he has headlined 35 fundraisers since the 2014 midterm elections and he has already endorsed 10 candidates at the state level, according to the Democratic National Committee.[/B] "The President has been clear that as we get closer to the general election, it will become even more important that the American people understand what is at stake," said White House Deputy Press Secretary Jennifer Friedman. "Do we continue to build on the policies that reward hard-working American families, advance our economic and national security, and address challenges for future generations, or do we stop in our tracks, reverse our progress and move in the wrong direction? This is a choice that the President does not take lightly, and is something he will lay out for the American people with increased frequency in the weeks and months ahead." [B]Obama has telegraphed his desire to play an active role both at home in Washington and on the stump, telling the crowd at an Dallas fundraiser last week he could not be prouder of what he has accomplished and, "We're going to run through the tape."[/B] [B]He is eager to protect and defend his legacy, pointing to policies like the Affordable Care Act, his biggest domestic achievement, which he boasts has provided 20 million Americans with insurance coverage and which congressional Republicans have voted some 60 times to repeal. [/B]Republicans also fought vigorously against the Iran nuclear deal and many oppose his efforts to normalize relations with Cuba, a move that will get a big boost when he becomes the first president to visit the island in almost 90 years this weekend. Trade deals, environmental and financial regulations are other accomplishments the President wants to protect. The fight over his Supreme Court nomination, with Senate Republicans vowing to block Merrick Garland, highlights the significance of regaining control, Obama said. "We got to have not just a Democratic president who can continue the legacy that we built together over the last 7½ years, but we've got to have a Senate that is a partner in this process," he told supporters in Dallas last weekend. "And I can list a whole bunch of reasons for why that's so important. It turns out that because of the untimely death of Justice Scalia -- and obviously we grieve for his family -- but the behavior of the Senate since then, I think, gives you a pretty good reason of why we think the Senate is so important." [B]Whomever the Democratic nominee is, they will need the backing of the broad coalition of young voters, blacks, Hispanics and women that then-Sen. Obama brought out in 2008. Democrats are banking on Obama's popularity: He has long polled well within his own party, and a recent Gallup Poll shows his approval rating nationwide has ticked up to 50%, far higher than his predecessor George W. Bush (32%) at the same time in his presidency.[/B] In fact, while Bush endorsed Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2008, he did no campaign rallies that year, according to longtime CBS White House Correspondent Mark Knoller, who keeps extensive records of presidential activities from golf outings to stump speeches.[/quote] [url]http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/19/politics/obama-legacy-2016-campaign-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-donald-trump/index.html[/url]

Not sure if an approval rating of 50% would help rally the dems to defeat the GOP...

[QUOTE=Chaitin;49968019]Not sure if an approval rating of 50% would help rally the dems to defeat the GOP...[/QUOTE] That's across the nation as a whole. He'll be campaigning in select areas where that margin may and probably will be very varied.

It's probably smart to try and compensate for mid term weakness in the dems; unfortunately for them the turnout seems lower amongst their main demographic of young people than for the Republican voters.

TBH the only two reason he's doing this is 1. Donald Trump 2. Senate blocking Supreme court nominee,

[QUOTE=Purple Gecko;49968327]It's probably smart to try and compensate for mid term weakness in the dems; unfortunately for them the turnout seems lower amongst their main demographic of young people than for the Republican voters.[/QUOTE] For the presidential race, at least. Different people vote or don't vote during midterms. My father, for example, only votes in presidential races. I wouldn't say he doesn't care about senate, HR or state elections, but he really hasn't any time to get to know the candidates and so doesn't make a vote for anyone regarding them.

Considering there's a strong chance Hillary could become president, I think having a dem Senate could be bad. Then she could do way more damage. At least with the Senate being republican she would just get constantly cock blocked. Not that I'm at all a fan of the GOP.

[QUOTE=gjsdeath;49968837]Considering there's a strong chance Hillary could become president, I think having a dem Senate could be bad. Then she could do way more damage. At least with the Senate being republican she would just get constantly cock blocked. Not that I'm at all a fan of the GOP.[/QUOTE] If the Senate was "all Republican"— then Hillary could do more damage. They would be all for her pro-Wall Street and corporate breaks.

[QUOTE=Chaitin;49968019]Not sure if an approval rating of 50% would help rally the dems to defeat the GOP...[/QUOTE] 50 is pretty good

[QUOTE=gjsdeath;49968837]Considering there's a strong chance Hillary could become president, I think having a dem Senate could be bad. Then she could do way more damage. At least with the Senate being republican she would just get constantly cock blocked. Not that I'm at all a fan of the GOP.[/QUOTE] so you WANT gridlock? we are talking about "status quo" hillary here, i can't really think of any damage she's going to do, if the democrats retake congress, sure they'll probably pass some stuff like adding protections for LGBTs to existing civil rights protections, or enshrine some of obama's epa regulations into law but unless sanders is elected, we're not getting actual universal healthcare if you complain and bitch about obama stepping outside his authority with his executive orders, you have to remember that he is doing all that because congress will not work with him the GOP has made every single policy of his an existential crisis instead of a negotiation

[QUOTE=Chaitin;49968019]Not sure if an approval rating of 50% would help rally the dems to defeat the GOP...[/QUOTE] For reference GWB's approval rating was 25-30% or so by this time in his presidency. 50% is actually really good all things considered. On the flipside Bill Clinton had like a 60% approval rating by 2000.

[QUOTE=Srillo;49968904]For reference GWB's approval rating was 25-30% or so by this time in his presidency. 50% is actually really good all things considered. On the flipside Bill Clinton had like a 60% approval rating by 2000.[/QUOTE] Wasn't Reagan only a few ticks up over Obama at this time? Like 53% or something

It's really weird how Obama is way younger than both of his prospective successors and yet has pretty much finished his career and could now choose to just retire

[QUOTE=smurfy;49970693]It's really weird how Obama is way younger than both of his prospective successors and yet has pretty much finished his career and could now choose to just retire[/QUOTE] [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Howard_Taft#Chief_Justice_.281921.E2.80.931930.29]Who says a political career has to be over after becoming president?[/url]