Look, Obama needs to be the democratic nominee. Don't most other readers of this timeline agree with me on that?
I agree.
I agree that it's not very realistic. I just don't see how Bayh and Lieberman could be getting the combined percentages between them that you gave them. I mean, 50% of the Democratic Primary electorate are not centrist, fiscal hawks. Obama is probably going to be in some trouble in 2012, but i really don't see TWO centrist/moderates competing against him and being successful. Unemployment would have to be about 15-18%, and Obama would likely just not run for reelection at that point. MAYBE if one centrist challenged Obama, they MIGHT be successful. But President Obama only getting 24% in Florida in a Democratic primary?! That's a big leap from where we're at right now, IMO.
ITTL, unemployment inches closer and closer to 11%. Most Democrats are voting for Bayh and Lieberman as a protest vote due to being disenchanted by the corrupt failure that is the Obama Administration.
Yes, but still, most Democrats are probably not going to see the Obama Administration as a "corrupt failure", or be motivated enough to vote for a 70 year old man or a Democrat In Name Only. You have to accept the fact that Democrats are liberals and there is a small minority among them that are fiscally conservative, not the other way around.