2016 Democratic Candidates Need President Obama and President Obama Needs Them

The 2016 Democratic candidates, from the top of the ticket to the bottom, need President Obama and he needs them. They need the president because of his proven power to motivate voters to get out and vote and he needs them to help assure that his legacy will be sealed rather than dismantled.

Christi Parsons of the Tribune Washington Bureau wrote an article, which said that President Obama’s appeal to the above mentioned voters and their support of him are not transferable. As far as I am concerned this is just some woman talking.  To all of the voters who find the president and his message appealing and support him, I say that you should feel the same way that I do; this is just some woman talking.  You can back up these feelings by getting out and voting for those candidates for whom he advocates.

Before anyone misinterprets my ‘this is just some woman talking’ statement and labels me a sexist, if it were a guy that wrote the same article in the Tribune I would say that ‘this is just some guy talking’ and make the same recommendation to you, which is that you ignore his assertion as simply rhetoric. Then I would also recommend that you get out and vote for those candidates for whom President Obama is an advocate.

What needs to happen in 2016 is that we show those who are of the opinion that appeal and support are not transferrable that they are wrong; these are things just like ‘good will’ – in a reputable company’s name, which can be transferred! In the event that you are tempted to be discouraged and start to think that maybe Ms. Parsons is right, think about all of the things that the press and pundits said about The Donald’s (Donald Trump – in the unlikely event that you do not know who The Donald is) candidacy.

Well, what do you think about what they had to say then compared to The Donald’s standing among the 2016 presidential candidates now? Big difference, huh?!  The 2016 election is a different kind of animal.  So rather than get down in the face with what someone in the press is saying about appeal and support not being transferable, make appeal and support a different kind of animal in 2016 and make it transferable!

If The Donald made 2016 a different kind of animal by virtue of his stubbornness and tenacity, you can do it too! To  paraphrase an old saying – “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander”; in this case in point scenario, what’s good for The Donald is good for the voter (Only in this particular case, of course.  This has to be an anomaly; because if it is not, everything will likely result in a total disaster).

In the eyes of the press, pundits and most of the rest of America, Mr. Trump’s candidacy might have started out as a joke or entertaining sideshow but now it has evolved into a full-fledged threat (not everyone views it this way) of him becoming President of the United States of America! If he wins the Republican nomination he has a fifty-fifty chance of becoming president.  There is no doubt that Mr. Trump is an accomplished businessman and would be a ruthless and formidable foe of anyone who might challenge his business acumen, but we need a lot more than this in a president.  We need much, much more; exponentially more!

Mr. Trump is appealing to all of the wrong things that are a part of us as Americans. He is appealing to the dark side of us and, right now, he is winning.  Those problems that are boiling just below the surface in our society and have been boiling there likely since the landing at Plymouth Rock must remain there while we mitigate them and hopefully finally fix them.

With all of the negative things that are happening throughout America right now, especially as regards policing of its citizens, our country is ripe for an explosion into total turmoil. Therefore, what appears to be Mr. Trumps approach to governance is totally unacceptable.  Accordingly, the approach to governance of any of the other 2016 presidential candidates that mimics Mr. Trump’s approach would be just as unacceptable.

To those Democrats whom I began addressing earlier in this article from the premise of President Obama’s appeal and support and now to all Democrats in general I say, if my perspective of what I perceive to be Mr. Trumps approach to governance is what it takes to get you to get out and vote then consider this article to be exactly that. To those Republicans (and Democrats) whose fears and prejudices are being exploited by any 2016 candidate and to all Republicans in general I say the same thing.

Finally, I say to all Democrats, Republicans and Independents, if you think that we need someone in the top job in the United States other than a person with nothing more to offer than insults and a ‘tough guy’ image; and if you think that we need someone with a temperament that goes beyond the attitude of my way or no way, then think very carefully and make a well-thought-out decision before you mark your 2016 ballot: A decision that encompasses the expectation for our elected officials to always seek to find common ground first rather than immediately resorting to do it my way or have hell to pay.

Eulus Dennis