While it was a Republican onslaught from the right that damaged President Barack Obama Tuesday, he will soon have to worry about a challenge from the left too, says Newsmax contributor Dick Morris.
“There is a very good chance now that there will be left-wing primary opponent against Obama,” the ace Republican strategist told Newsmax.TV.
Potential candidates include Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich; Russ Feingold, who was just ousted as senator in Wisconsin; and former presidential candidate Howard Dean, Morris says.
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A left-wing candidate would attack Obama over the war in Afghanistan, the detention center for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, the absence of a public option in the healthcare reform law and stubbornly high unemployment.
The election results weaken Obama, Morris says. “Liberals will now start turning on him,” he explains. “Obama will have a sharp fall in his ratings, because Democrats will blame the defeats on him and be really disenchanted with him.”
If the opposition movement gathers enough momentum, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may enter the race, Morris says.
And what will happen in the new session of Congress?
“The House will pass basically America as they’d like to see it,” Morris says. “They’ll repeal healthcare reform, slash discretionary spending, extend the Bush tax cuts, vote against cap and trade and weaken the intense control over community and local banks.”
That agenda will probably pass the House and die in the Senate, he says. “And then the lines will be clear for the 2012 election.”
The fight will be intense over the budget, Morris says. “I don’t think the Republicans will back down and support a budget with tax increases. I think that’s going to be the ultimate dividing issue that will carry the country into the 2012 election.”
The Senate will see a charade, he says. “There are a number of so-called moderate Democrats, which we know is a fraud: when they needed 60 votes, they got every last one for healthcare.”
Democratic leaders will tell these so-called moderates, such as Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Mark Pryor of Arkansas, that they can vote for the bills passed by the House. So Democratic leaders will accept passage of the bills, Obama will veto them, and then the Senate won’t override the vetoes, Morris says.
“The Senate won’t make much difference. It’s going to be the House against the president.”
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