Every time I get scared, I have to remind myself...

[PlanetBev]

I remember about this time in 2008, the Rev. Wright story exploded, and exploded big. I was absolutely frantic. I was sure this was it for Obama. It seemed to go on and on, then Obama gave that amazing speech addressing the issue. I cried like a baby in front of the TV, knowing I was witnessing a turning point. The MSM give him high praise. Soooo, I'm all happy again.

He wins the nomination. I witness his amazing speech at the Democratic Convention on August 28th. I'm all exhilarated. About 12 hours later, they announce Sarah Palin for the ticket. The media is all over her like a cheap suit, slathering her with attention. I'm terrorized again...reduced to rubble. I was like a yo-yo, for months. I was a basket case.

Folks, we're five months out. There's going to be a lot of ups and downs and moment to moment drama and bullshit. Let's just get out there and work and if you can, donate a few shekels to the cause. Most important, let's help each other keep our chops up.

[jpbollma]

1. Obama will be given no sympathy this time

It's going to be a rough road.

[Drunken Irishman]

2. He also will be given a bit more benefit of the doubt, as most presidents receive...

Even unpopular presidents. He didn't have that in '08. Even Carter was in his race with Reagan until the bitter end. It eventually broke in Reagan's favor, but he was infinitely less popular than Obama right now.

Being an incumbent has far more perks than being the challenger. Incumbents rarely lose - incumbents who are running for reelection rarely lose. Only H.W. Bush and Carter have lost reelection since Hoover's defeat to FDR (Ford never won an election, LBJ didn't run for a second term and neither did Truman). Even in 1992, Bush still only lost the popular vote by six points.

Obama is personally well liked. Americans don't like Mitt Romney. That generally equals election success, especially presidential elections.

There is a reason why Intrade and Nate Silver and most unbiased organizations say Obama is the favorite. Is he guaranteed to win? Na'. But he's in a far better position today than Bush was eight years ago and H.W. in '92 - two incumbents who either lost or narrowly won.

Just my thoughts, though. I'm an Obamabot.

[dinopipie]

7. You need to throw the past out it does not really matter

because of:

1. Citizens United
2. 24/7 GOP Propaganda on TV and radio
3. In case you have not noticed President Obama is not white.

[Harry Monroe]

9. Not much of this matters

The MSM will frame the race and people are generally sheep. They'll believe whatever they see and hear on the news. Let's hope that enough voters are intelligent enough to see through the bullshit, think for themselves and vote accordingly. If you compare Obama and Rmoney unfiltered, through one's own unbiased filter, you'd think it'd be a no-brainer. Anyone halfway intelligent can see that Rmoney is a reprehensible scumbag. But we know how the MSM loves to spin and bend the facts.

[Herlong]

17. Let's hope have enough voters

Because the more people vote, the more we win.

[Drunken Irishman]

18. Then I guess he's doomed. Hello Pres. Romney.

[Herlong]

20. President Romney is a definite possibility, first and foremost.

And if we loose this next Presidential election, watch all hell break loose on DU, sans eye roll emoticons. Second, we do need voters to win elections. Sooooo, what is your point?

[Drunken Irishman]

21. The handwringing of the left is a replay of '08...

I heard it four years ago and I'm hearing it now.

"Obama can't win, won't win, will struggle to win"

"They'll just steal it..."

"This is the country that voted in Bush, why should I trust they'll vote in Obama?"

"Obama is too passive, too nice to win..."

Romney very well could win. But we're not talking an infinite amount of time here, my friend. We're a little less now than five months away from the presidential election. Everything that people have said the last few months and years, about Citizen United, about the money, about the voters, has not changed the dynamics of this race thus far. It could, I'll concede that, but Obama continues to lead in the national polls and he continues to lead in the local polls.

If you want to give up, that's your right. But don't get upset when someone comes around and calls you on your incessant negativism. I heard it four years ago, I don't want to hear it again the next five months. Wake me up when the polls show Obama consistently losing. Until then, sit back, calm down and relax.

[Herlong]

22. Wake me up when the polls show Obama consistently losing. Until then, sit back, calm down and relax

I won't sit down, calm down, or relax until every eligible voter in American can vote, and there are no barriers for them to vote. I am no Pollyanna, my friend, we have five months, that means that's every eligible voter for Obama on election day.

[Drunken Irishman]

25. There is a difference between fighting for every eligible voter and acting like he's going to lose..

As I've seen on this forum all too often. Hell, there was just a thread posted here that said he should pull a Johnson and say he's not going to seek a second term because there is no way he can win now. This is ridiculous. Yes, Obama is not guaranteed to win like Clinton in '96. But he's out-polling where Bush was eight years ago and far outpacing the last incumbent who lost.

I'm confident he will win reelection.

[Herlong]

27. I'm confident we have to fight

until we win.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

29. Well, with all your doom and gloom, I hope you're matching that by actually getting out and going

door to door. It's one thing to sit on a message board and cry about how Obama could lose. It's altogether another thing to get out there and fight. Make some calls. Register voters. Go door to door, talking to voters.

[RBInMaine]

11. Sympathy for what? Being a DAMN GOOD PRESIDENT?? Get positive, please.

[freshwest]

3. PlanetBev, I hear you. 2008 with the Palin race rallies had all the bad memories playing for me.

It felt as if we'd been dragged decades back into the past, it was the same mood at those southern campaign stops, and the GOP has not gotten better since then.

I don't want to see this country taken back to those days but the Romney people seem to really want it. It's uglier than it was in 2008 or 1968.

Or maybe they get more face time than before. I don't know which one it is. I was on that roller coaster too, couldn't even look at the returns in 2008, afraid of what it meant, going backwards.

More is at stake than then. But keep your head up and remember that what we see on the internet is not all there is, or the media holding back the information to help people make a good choice.

Hold on tight again, we all will.

[patrice]

4. Rev. Wright himself may be a bit hard for some people to take, not me, but Liberation

Theology is an AWESOME and inspiring message, so I hope we get to go there, because it will be a good anti-dote to Romney's FOREIGN financial masters.

[99th_Monkey]

15. I share your deep respect for Liberation Theology.

I say this as a Child of the 60s,
who back in the 80s was still,
paying attention to Iran/Contra,
and similar crimes against humanity,
and how the "base communities"
of Liberation Theology were at
the vanguard standing in the breach
for the underclasses in Latin America.

[patrice]

23. There are too many people who don't know how deeply motivated by Freedom Liberals are.

This is why we can be trusted on the issues, because we are bound to respect Freedom, or lose our status as "card carrying" Liberals.

Liberals ARE Liberals because they have a passion for Freedom. It's bound up in our epistemology and ontology and EVERYTHING.

I think we should try to explain all of this better, without these somewhat off-putting words.

[99th_Monkey]

5. Thank you for your soulful and eliquent words

We're all riding this out,
with as much awareness,
as we can muster to it,
without exploding.

I know of no other mirror,
no more clear reflection,
of what chance and circumstance,
can throw at us on moment's notice.

Than your (see above) DU post,
letting anyone with eyes to see,
how we can "carry each other",
like that 90s pop song goes.

[Politicalboi]

6. Obama had Rev Wright

And Palin had the witch doctor. But nobody brought that shit up. That is the problem. How many times has Rmoney been asked about the cop uniform? I haven't heard any. This is part of the problem. If Obama did that, we sure as hell would be hearing about it 24/7. Bush got a way with a shit load of stuff, and the media dropped the ball.

[Harry Monroe]

10. The media didn't "drop the ball"

They did exactly what their corporate masters told them to do. Bury it, and bury it deep.

[Surya Gayatri]

8. Thanks for the welcome dose of reality-testing, PlanetBev...

I know what you mean about the yo-yo effect.

Focus, concentration--that's the name of the game. Eyes on the goal, people!

[RBInMaine]

12. Quit "getting scared." Just work, write letters to the editor, donate, and CAMPAIGN FOR OBAMA !

[jimlup]

13. Remember the "Everybody Chill - I've Got this!" post we used to put up in '08

It applies today as well. Obama may be "even" in the polls but once the American people see who Mitt Romney really is they will reject him. I'm pretty sure that Obama will prevail in some rather significant ways once the campaign goes to full bore.

[PlanetBev]

16. Thanks for reminding me about that

I've got that captioned picture of him on my computer. I think I'll put it on my desktop.

[boxman15]

14. "We're five months out"

That's the key thing to remember. This week has been a bad one politically for Obama, no doubt. He'll have some more of those before it's out, but so will Mitt Romney. Plus, when the debates come around, Obama will look like the confident leader this country needs, while Romney will look like the slimy politician he is.

I'm still confident President Obama will be re-elected. Everything has to go right for Mitt Romney in the Electoral College for him to win.

[GoCubsGo]

24. More stuff will come out on Romney, too.

Even some of the apolitical people I know are commenting on what a creepy weirdo this guy is. I also saw a post here that said the ads the Obama campaign put out about his time at Bain are not helping Romney, either. Folks are already starting to see how slimy he is.

[liberalnationalist]

26. and you can bet what ever you have in your bank acct

that Obama is going to trash him....Obama will not take crap like Gore or Kerry.

[KaryninMiami]

28. And never forget- the Obama team beat the Clinton machine

And that was no easy feat. Almost everyone assumed that Hillary would be the candidate-- it was a very hard (and painfully intense) battle as you may recall and the Obama team- in spite of Reverend Wright and all of the rest of the stuff that was thrown at him- got won the election.
I remind myself of that quite often- it calms me down. But it's going to be a very intense 5 months, that's for sure.