Ex-Bill Clinton pollster urges Obama to give up WH bid for Hillary

President Obama stands with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton as he announces that she will travel to Myanmar, on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia summit in Nusa Dua, on the island of Bali, Indonesia, Nov. 18, 2011.

/ AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

UPDATED 8:32 a.m. ET

President Obama should give up on the idea of another four years in office, paving the way for Hillary Clinton to run as the Democratic nominee, two Democratic pollsters wrote in Monday's Wall Street Journal.

Doug Schoen, who worked for Bill Clinton, and Pat Caddell, who worked for Jimmy Carter, argued that Obama should follow the example of Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson, who each decided not to run again.

"He should abandon his candidacy for re-election in favor of a clear alternative, one capable not only of saving the Democratic Party, but more important, of governing effectively and in a way that preserves the most important of the president's accomplishments. He should step aside for the one candidate who would become, by acclamation, the nominee of the Democratic Party: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton," they wrote, reviving an argument they first made in the Washington Post a year ago.

The crux of their argument is based on the notion that Mr. Obama would be ineffective in his second term because he will be forced to run a negative campaign to win.

"By going down the re-election road and into partisan mode, the president has effectively guaranteed that the remainder of his term will be marred by the resentment and division that have eroded our national identity, common purpose, and most of all, our economic strength," they wrote.

But if Mr. Obama were to step aside for Hillary, it would be good for both Democrats and the country, they argued, "not only is Mrs. Clinton better positioned to win in 2012 than Mr. Obama, but she is better positioned to govern if she does."

"If President Obama were to withdraw, he would put great pressure on the Republicans to come to the table and negotiate--especially if the president singularly focused in the way we have suggested on the economy, job creation, and debt and deficit reduction. By taking himself out of the campaign, he would change the dynamic from who is more to blame--George W. Bush or Barack Obama?--to a more constructive dialogue about our nation's future," they wrote.

The two pollsters insisted they were not betraying their party and said they had not been in touch with the Secretary of State or her political aides. They do not say the same about Mr. Clinton.

"We write as patriots and Democrats--concerned about the fate of our party and, most of all, our country. We do not write as people who have been in contact with Mrs. Clinton or her political operation. Nor would we expect to be directly involved in any Clinton campaign," they wrote.

Asked by CBS News chief White House correspondent Norah O'Donnell last week if she would run for president again, Clinton said "no, no."

"I had a great run, I was very grateful that I could do that. I felt just really good about the experience but that was then and this is now and I'm looking forward," she said.

[DavidLBlake]

Interesting point. However, in both 1952 and 1968, the other party won the White House with Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. The President's mistake is being too nice where the Republicans have never had an interest in working with him. The President has given far more than the Republicans. The Republican Party is so insane and out of touch with ordinary Americans that Obama could very well be reelected. They could easily snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

[lillianiadem]

Obama has been a complete loss as a President, from this lifelong Democrat's point of view. He has rolled over constantly for Big Oil, stood back from huge inroads to our national parks and our environmental safety, and just generally focused on useless minutia. Right now, he's an embarrassment because he won't speak up to protect the Occupy protesters from our own worst police forces--He only needs to say the same things he said on behalf of Egyptian and Iranian protesters, but noooo.... Americans are not worth his time. Yes, this gutless fellow needs to vacate the White House and allow Hillary--a hard-working, decisive, experienced person--a chance to set things right.

[Facts_Matter]

troll.

[LG1011]

Neither one of these two Democrats are qualified to be president that party needs to find a real candiate to run as well does the Republican party.

[Ben37221]

These two so call posters are fouls. The democratic party does not need to be saved. What need to be saved is the sanety of the republican party that is willing to destroy our nation over their desire for power at all cost. Certainly, the ignorance of these two posters is part of the concerns most democrates have about some of these so call democrate who are doing the bidding for the republican party.
They need to move their behind to the republican party because, they are doing the republican job for them. May be Romney is paying these two selfish idiot who pretend to be democrates, certainly when it is convenient.
They need to get ready to enjoy Obama's second inuguration.

[Facts_Matter]

true.

[Kenny777_y]

iam a little confused did HILLARY say she would run against OBAMA or is this made up crap, cause iam pretty sure she would say been there done that no thank you.

[Facts_Matter]

exactly.

this is made up crap, and Hilary would NEVER say anything like this. She is an American first, and right now, she is Secretary of State.

I do hope she runs in 2012 though!!

[Facts_Matter]

I meant 2016!

[I-C-Warming]

Yeah. There are no viable Republican candidates and this is creating a vacuum. The one sucked in might be Hillary. It would be a bruising battle against Obama, but if she won, she could beat any of the Repub losers. Of course, so can Mighty O., so no reason for him to step aside, and of course he won't. Hillary can't beat him, however, so common sense will probably trump ambition. Probably.

[American_1st]

BO would beg, borrow and steal to be in the position HRC is in right now. He's so green. wow.

[Facts_Matter]

Hilary would never run this year. It would be backstabbing Obama and it would be breaking her oath. You can bet she promised to support him throughout his terms in office.

She is an honorable and dedicated American. She would make a great President, especially after these years as SecState.

Hillary in 2012!!

[Bojax39]

"President Obama should give up on the idea of another four years in office, paving the way for Hillary Clinton to run as the Democratic nominee"

Perhaps it's time for a woman in the Oval Office. She couldn't do worse than the clowns we've had in there the last few terms. But Hillary Clinton is NOT the woman for the job.

Hang in there Mr. president. :-)

[louisiana-mom]

I truly suggest she not start this mess again. We have not forgotten the last time around. She should stand with President Obama. Why is it that the REPUBLICANS can stand together, and we fizzle out like a wet firecracker! United We Stand; Devided they Win!

[American_1st]

Hillary and Bill and all Clintonistas, please sit out 2012. Let's watch how the new guys get er done.

[inbethlehem]

Hillary:

If you want my support in 2016, you will put a stop to this NOW.

[American_1st]

HRC doesn't need your support or the support of BO. Its BO who needs her support. Without it....he's doomed. Sorry. She won't run again. Has it out of her system. She has bigger things to do than be tossed around by little players. She's in the history books forever. Me thinks BO is a flash in the pan. Can you say Jimma Cata?

[Truth_Tracker]

This decree is a tumid Daly bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, jingoistic Pollyanna whitewash gloss-over of the grave problems in a gridlocked Congress. It's chief error is akin to a ludicrous notion, once rampant in the Middle East, namely, that "you can negotiate with the Taliban and al Qaeda." Even its chief advocate, Afghanistan's Karzai, has totally abandoned that absurd, misbegotten idea. Likewise, you can't negotiate with the Repubs.

Republican's absolute, entrenched sabotaging GRIDLOCK is dysfunctional mayhem that has no 'happy face' spin to put on it. And there is absolutely nothing in the realm of reality that makes Clinton a more effective negotiator than Obama. To the contrary, Clinton is a lightening rod and rallying point for Republicans - the one Dem all Repubs love to hate. She would provide Repubs with a "unity" heretofore lacking in the current divisive Repub hodge-podge of misfit candidates. Furthermore, whatever problems Obama is facing in his re-election bid is shared by all elected Democrats, because all Dems are in disfavor with the Dem voters that elected them, for having abandoned the middle class.

Either Corbett Daly is 'on' drugs and needs to get off them or he is 'off' his meds and he needs to get back on them. This brand of congressional GRIDLOCK is nothing but a Republican extortionist tactic waged as a game of 'chicken' that utterly lacks any virtue or redeeming values. It's hard for a 'caring' elected official to play the game of 'chicken' when the Repub extortionist opponent hails from the "suicide bomber" terrorist fringe of extremist ideology. They'd rather damage the U.S. economy than agree to make the wealthiest Americans share in the costs and burdens of reducing a deficit that all agree is out of control. That SHOULD spell disaster for Repubs -- but Dems like Daly are clueless as to how to put this issue "front & center" so they can capitalize on it. And splintering the Dem base further most certainly is NOT the solution for Dems.

[akwriter]

Hillary's pollster is full of himself and when Democrats stop undermining the President, he may be able to get things accomplished. Part of the reason the country is in the predicament it faces is because the Dems would tuck their tails between their legs and run for the hills if the Repugs said "Boo." Instead of backstabbing the Pres, they need to get a backbone and this pollster needs to get a real job.

[American_1st]

it hasn't been the Ds who have folded akwriter....its been the president for the love of gawd. He's blown every freakin lead we've had. don't be blaming the people who voted for him. He's the one in charge. it falls on him and he hasn't done his job representing what we voted for. i won't be fooled again.

[Facts_Matter]

America:

Obama has to compromise up until now. he promised to reach across the aisle. he promised to steer toward the middle. I agree, it has been painful to watch, but he is the one who has to manage the shop. He has done a masterful job. Obamacare was a fantastic thing. read about the Medical Loss Ratio. That will get you feeling better about what he has done. And keep in mind, he has got us out of Iraq. He got congress to end DADT. His environmental record is not as good as I would wish, but I am a scientist, and I think long-term.

I expect he will not be so nice to the GOP in his second term. He will have no reason to. They have not made any bargains with him. he owes them nothing. He tried to compromise with them for four years and they just did everything they could to sabotage the recovery of our economy. He will poop all over them starting as soon as they pick a nominee.