Local and state Democratic leaders: "Obama operatives weakened the party"

[All Along The Watchtower]

Somehow I missed this item from about a month ago (seems like an eternity in the news cycle these days, doesn't it? Go figure). I think it's relevant:

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http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/01/opinions/hillary-clinton-has-a-point-louis/index.html

[NOVA Green]

Old story that goes back some six plus years back if I recall.

It goes back to how Obama didn't share his mailing lists and donor info with state and local party offices, if I recall the story correctly.

Maybe I'm wrong but thought this story first arose somewhere around 2010....

Same deal we are seeing with Bernie now, and he was never elected President, let alone winning the Dem Party nomination!

IDK--- old man memory and someone can correct the details with Obama further, but at what point should an incumbent Pres share his or her files with local and state Party leaders?

[RINO Tom]

It's easy to look back now and say it was "bound to happen" or something stupid like that, but if I were high up in the Democratic Party in a state like Arkansas, after we had weathered SO many storms and maintained power despite a liberal national party, I'd be furious with the Obama Administration.  Throw whatever excuse out there that you want, the DNC plssed away so much power downballot.

[PoliticalShelter]

It is not stupid to think that states that no longer voted for the national democrats for over 10 years would start to vote GOP on all ballots, just like its logical to expect the Vermont GOP to eventually have losts its dominance.

As for the silly idea that these party's weathered serious challenges is beyond laughable considering most southern GOP parties were joke parties until the nineties (and in some states well into the 2000s).
During that time they had the "challenge" of a moderate democrat who was popular for most of his term (and during 1992 - 1994, many southern GOP parties were still at a major structural disadvantage) and a republican president who became toxic by the end of his presidency.

The moment these state party's actually encountered a genuine challenge with a well organised opposition that had built up its bench, they collapsed like the paper tigers they really were. (If you want to look for competent statewide democratic parties in GOP states, that had declined because of neglect, look to Montana, West Virginia and possibly MO + IN, where they still can win elections in non freaky circumstances).

[Del Tachi]

Yep.  For all of the policy that Obama implemented (most of which was enacted through executive orders that have absolutely no staying power, as we're seeing now), I suspect that this may be the most defining aspect of his legacy.  

Obama is the president who built the America that elected Donald Trump.  

[RINO Tom]

It is not stupid to think that states that no longer voted for the national democrats for over 10 years would start to vote GOP on all ballots, just like its logical to expect the Vermont GOP to eventually have losts its dominance.

As for the silly idea that these party's weathered serious challenges is beyond laughable considering most southern GOP parties were joke parties until the nineties (and in some states well into the 2000s).
During that time they had the "challenge" of a moderate democrat who was popular for most of his term (and during 1992 - 1994, many southern GOP parties were still at a major structural disadvantage) and a republican president who became toxic by the end of his presidency.

The moment these state party's actually encountered a genuine challenge with a well organised opposition that had built up its bench, they collapsed like the paper tigers they really were. (If you want to look for competent statewide democratic parties in GOP states, that had declined because of neglect, look to Montana, West Virginia and possibly MO + IN, where they still can win elections in non freaky circumstances).

These states were able to continue to put out strong Democratic candidates while their voters were voting overwhelmingly Republican upballot.  Obama frankly didn't give a shlt if that continued, and he was probably somewhat smugly glad it didn't.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Another illuminating article, one that's damning in many parts.

https://newrepublic.com/article/140245/obamas-lost-army-inside-fall-grassroots-machine

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[Averroës Nix]

I wonder whether anything will ever happen to make Obama's favorability numbers among Democrats reflective of how seriously his presidency crippled his party.

[PragmaticPopulist]

Most of the states that were either solidly democratic or tossups downballot were probably gonna crack eventually, but Obama definitely accelerated the R trend. Arkansas went from having 2 Democratic senators and a trifecta in 2008 to a complete flip by 2014. West Virginia had 2 Democratic Senators and a trifecta in 2008, and now has 1 senator from each party and both legislative houses are Republican-controlled.

[Suburbia]

Obama was a busy man as President and leader of the Democratic Party, he couldn't have done everything at one time, but at least he could have checked up on the DNC from time to time.

He weakened the Democratic Party in a sense---but he gave them two victories in 2008 and 2012.

[All Along The Watchtower]

I wonder whether anything will ever happen to make Obama's favorability numbers among Democrats reflective of how seriously his presidency crippled his party.

Why care about the sobering reality of a political party on life support when you've spent years the better part of a decade invested in a personality cult? Obama didn't care about the Democratic Party, why expect his fan club to act otherwise?

Disheartening? Obviously. But not surprising, unfortunately.

[dw93]

He weakened the Democratic Party in a sense---but he gave them two victories in 2008 and 2012.

He weakened it much more than he strengthened it. The Obama years were more damaging down ticket for the Democratic Party than the Clinton Administration was, and Bill had the excuse of not winning a mandate in '92 (he only won 43% of the popular vote thanks to Perot), and had a much more organized and less damaged Republican party to go up against than Obama did. The Democratic party at the congressional and state level hasn't been this damaged since before the Great Depression.