Ed Rendell: Obama Could Get Primary Challenge in 2012

Gov. Ed Rendell, D-Pa., on "Face The Nation."

/ CBS

There has been plenty of speculation about which Republicans will enter the race to challenge President Obama in the 2012 presidential elections.

But on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" yesterday, Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell threw a curveball into the discussion when he suggested that Mr. Obama could face a challenge from within his own party if he were to escalate U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.

While the governor didn't point to any specific potential primary challengers, he implied that Mr. Obama would need to keep his word on beginning to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in July 2011 to avoid a challenge from the left.

"[A primary challenge] is really possible," Rendell told Pat Buchanan. "It depends on how far it [the war in Afghanistan] deteriorates."

He added: "But if we start to begin to reduce our presence, I think that's probably enough to keep an anti-war candidate out of the race."

A recent CBS News poll showed growing discontent with the war in Afghanistan: Sixty-two percent of Americans believe things are going badly there, and 33 percent of Americans (including 42 percent of Democrats) say they are only willing to have large numbers of troops in Afghanistan for at most one more year.

It is unlikely that even a significant primary challenge to Mr. Obama would get much traction, but it could generate enormous press coverage and distract his reelection campaign at a time when it wants to be focused on the eventual general election fight.

[dodgergone]

The only way this country is going to move forward is WHEN we purge the rest of the hate mongering republicans from our political system. Democratic primary challenge? Sorry, "player haters" dream on!

[go2goal]

Anyone with 1/2 a brain realizes we can't go back to the disastrous policies and incompetency of the Republicans!

However, Obama has largely disappointed and has failed to deliver on many promises from his campaign......mainly, he's diluted his key initiatives by trying to compromise and win over Republicans. In the process he hasn't move the nation forward....and there's still too much damage being done from remaining Bush-Cheney acts & indiscretions.

So, if we ant to change and move the nation forward, we have no choice but to draft and support a democrat alternative to Obama.

That person, a smart & determined individual who will clearly help restore the middle class to its greatness of the 1970's is Dr. Elizabeth Warren.

I hereby nominate Elizabeth Warren as the Democratic candidate for the Office of the Presidency in 2012. I urge Obama and his staff to support this winning ticket.

[Thewright1836]

Great article.. i thinkg I saw it on digg.com or the bbc.com

[jimbom121]

Any challenge would come from someone like Kucinich. Hillary is to tied to Obama.

[SCVscribe]

If there is a challenge from the left, it definitely won't be Hillary. She is far too tied to the current war policy.

More likely it could be Howard Dean running a Gene McCarthy type symbolic campaign or another nationally known Democrat who will become an outspoken antiwar leader soon after the 2010 elections.

[LIBERALS-lie]

et tu Hillary ?

[45ford]

The best chance for Democrats in 2012 is with Hillary at the top of the ticket. If she gets in the race, the political story and eventual historical outcome will easily overshadow Obama's election.

[mabyale]

I have never seen a president in this country's history that has had to endure being ridiculed, abused and laughed at all because of one thing - skin color. Yes, they will deny it but it is clearly skin color. Today one of the Republican mouthpieces, Glen Beck suggested that Obama hates while people. What the heck!? He is half white for God's sake. Why would he hate his own? Is it really possible? This is going beyond where it should go.

[Wagnerian]

In the beginning, I agree: the criticism was coming because of skin color. However, given his missteps, broken promises, thinly-veiled homophobia, to claim skin color as the sole reason for the criticism is, at best, a cop out. Incompetence and arrogance are not traits limited to whites - which is what you are suggesting and, by doing so, ironically perpetuating your own argument. At some point, Obama has to stop hiding behind his skin color and actually lead. You cry "wolf" too many times and people stop listening.

[sharkboy234]

OBAMA FIGHT BACK. HATE THE TEA PARTY! HATE THE TEA PARTY!

[Wagnerian]

Feel sorry for them. Don't hate them.

[stn_sage]

If the GOP puts up a 'moderate sounding' candidate against Obama,
BO won't get re-elected!
So, if Dems want to hang onto the WH, they better elect
a different candidate...excluding Clinton (who is unelectable).

[Wagnerian]

HRC would have beaten McCain. At this point, she would be more electable than Obama and any, yes, ANY Republican currently on the radar. The Teabaggers are bringing you down.