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View Full Version : Vermont Senator Wants Obama to Face Primary Challenger




Rael
07-24-2011, 09:57 PM
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said in a radio interview that he's thinking about trying to encourage somebody to run against President Obama in a primary election, claiming the president has drifted toward Republican positions because "no one will stand up to him."

Republicans hardly feel that Obama is on their side. House Speaker John Boehner, after splitting off from White House-led debt talks, said Sunday that they are almost "from two different planets."

But Sanders, an Independent, said Friday that the president is not living up to his campaign commitments on issues like Social Security -- reflecting a concern among some Democrats that Obama is willing to negotiate away changes to entitlements to appease Republicans.

Sanders said his "suggestion" is that Obama face a Democratic challenger in 2012.

"I think one of the reasons the president has been able to move so far to the right is that there is no primary opposition to him and I think it would do this country a good deal of service if people started thinking about candidates out there to begin contrasting what is a progressive agenda as opposed to what Obama is doing," Sanders said on radio host Thom Hartmann's show.

Sanders, while left of most elected Democrats, is an independent and could not step up to the plate to challenge Obama unless he registered as a Democrat.

He showed no interest in doing so, but said he is "giving thought" to encouraging someone else to run.

"There are a lot of smart honest, progressive people who I think can be good presidents," he said. "This is an issue ... we are beginning to talk about a little bit."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/24/obama-should-face-primary-opponent-vermont-sen-sanders-says/#ixzz1T5OfbV26

sailingaway
07-24-2011, 10:04 PM
If they do it will be to keep progressives in the Dem side of the tent for primaries so they don't cross and vote for Ron, who would embarrass Obama in debates.

Brett85
07-24-2011, 10:41 PM
It would be better to have an actual liberal Democrat as President rather than a radical statist like Obama. The only issues I can agree with (some) liberals on is foreign intervention, the Patriot Act, and the drug war. But I can't even agree with Obama on those issues since he doesn't take traditionally liberal views on those issues.

sailingaway
07-24-2011, 11:55 PM
It would be better to have an actual liberal Democrat as President rather than a radical statist like Obama. The only issues I can agree with (some) liberals on is foreign intervention, the Patriot Act, and the drug war. But I can't even agree with Obama on those issues since he doesn't take traditionally liberal views on those issues.

But the candidate who primaries Obama won't win, might not even get a debate. So all it would do is keep protest votes from running to Ron in the primaries, from my point of view.

RileyE104
07-25-2011, 12:33 AM
If they do it will be to keep progressives in the Dem side of the tent for primaries so they don't cross and vote for Ron, who would embarrass Obama in debates.

Agreed. This is the same reason why Perry is being pushed to run, so that Ron isn't the only military veteran in the race.

JamesButabi
07-25-2011, 08:27 AM
Afterthought, but wouldn't it have been awesome if Gary Johnson chose to run on the D ticket with an anti war / civil liberties platform? He would have gotten much more media attention and then we would have solid issues coming from both sides.

Noob
07-25-2011, 08:43 AM
There all ready is more than one.

http://www.williecarterforpresident.com/

http://www.politics1.com/p2012.htm

Even the naked cowboy guy is running for President

http://nc4president.com/