Doug Wilder: "Obama Is Just Whistling By The Graveyard"

Douglas Wilder: Democrats "Whistling by Their Graveyard"


ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: Former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, D-Va., was an early supporter of President Obama -- and something of a trailblazer for him, as the nation’s first elected African-American governor.

Now, the 79-year-old Wilder is leading efforts to sound alarm bells about the state of the Democratic Party.

On ABC’s “Top Line” today, Wilder told us that the Obama White House still seems not to get how toxic the political environment is this year -- or how drastic the steps that need to be taken to change that are.

“I think the problem that we have is that some people have been whistling by their graveyard, as if nothing is going on -- ‘Well, everything is fine,’ ” Wilder, who served as Virginia’s governor from 1990-1994, told me and ABC’s Jonathan Karl.

“And they keep talking about the president’s personal popularity. And we see in recent polls coming out in the last several days to show that that might not be the case. And so I think it’s anybody’s guess as to how bad it could be in terms of the House being taken over, in terms of the Senate even now.”

Wilder last week called for DNC Chairman Tim Kaine -- a fellow former Virginia governor -- to leave his post in the wake of a string of electoral setbacks.

He told us that, aside from replacing Kaine, the president needs to widen the circle of advisers he listens to.

“Why the people around the president -- if they’re advising him to stick with health care, stay with health care, give the kinds of monies for the stimulus package that were given with no strings attached, and then to come back and say ‘well, we’re going to get on jobs,’ – but when?” Wilder said. “And the confidence of the American people is dwindling on a steady basis.”

He continued: “Do you need to listen to other people? Do you need to reach out to other people who’ve had some experience in governing, rather than getting elected? He had the most brilliant team to assemble to get him elected. The question is: are these people capable of governance?”

Said Wilder: “I know that most of the American people want to see him do well. But you can’t do well the way you have been continuing. You’ve got to stop that and get a different direction.”

On Sen.Evan Bayh's surprise decision to retire rather than seek another term in 2010, Wilder said: “Wow… For the Democrats to lose him it’s big, big, big!”

Republicans, he said, are likely to make “substantial gains” in both the House and the Senate.

Wilder also pointed out that, even if Democrats do retain control of the Senate, they’re likely to have a considerably narrower majority than the one that’s produced so much frustration this year: “Let’s assume this -- if you can’t do it with 60 votes, and if you can’t do it with 59 votes, a single reduction will bring about a great deal of difficulty.”












First Black Governor Calls On Barack Obama To Sack Senior Aides


Doug Wilder, who was elected Virginia governor in 1989, launched a broadside against the man he supported in the Democratic primaries when most senior party figures were championing Hillary Clinton.

He had backed Mr Obama because of his promise of "change", he wrote in an article for Politico.

"Now, across many fronts – in public policy and politics alike – people have rightly been questioning whether the change has been for the better. Unfortunately, the answer so far is clear: not yet."

The former governor continued: "The need is becoming more obvious by the day: He must overhaul his own team, replacing the admittedly brilliant advisers who helped elect him with others more capable of helping him govern. Getting elected and getting things done for the people are two different jobs."

Mr Wilder's surprise intervention came as a Washington Post poll delivered further bad news for Mr Obama. The survey found Republicans have significantly narrowed the gap with Democrats on who is trusted to deal with America's problems – a sign that Republicans are set to make major gains in the midterm elections.

When asked how would vote in November's midterms, 46 per cent said they would back Democrats and 46 per cent Republicans. Just four months ago, Democrats held a 12-point advantage.

On all the big domestic issues such as economy, health care, employment and the budget – where Democrats hold traditional advantages – slim majorities of Americans disapproved of the job Mr Obama is doing.

Thus far, Mr Obama had made no changes to his inner circle. Since Democrats lost a Senate seat last month in a bombshell defeat in liberal Massachusetts, calls for the dismissal of his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, a former Chicago congressman, have increased.

Mr Wilder said Mr Obama had to fire people, starting with Tim Kaine, another former Virginia governor and the current chair of the Democratic National Committee – the party's political operation.

"The changes must go much deeper," Mr Wilder wrote. "Obama's West Wing is filled with people who are in their jobs because of their Chicago connections or because they signed on with Obama early during his presidential campaign.

"One problem is that they do not have sufficient experience at governing at the executive branch level. The deeper problem is that they are not listening to the people. "Hearing is one thing; listening is another."


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