Used To Be's Don't Count Anymore

"It used to be so natural to talk about forever
but used to be's don't count anymore
they just lay on the floor 'till we sweep them away"

Lately I find myself being drawn to MSNBC, partly to gloat and partly to measure the sentiment of Obama's fan base. The MSNBC team was more than just a supporter it was also his fan club. True, the front line, the Sharptons, Maddows and Mr. Ed's are standing pat but the down the line players, the Melissa Perrys and the Donny Deutsches have clearly lost that loving feeling. It's not they have turned on Obama so much as they are beginning to give up on him. In early 2009 they clearly thought Obama was forever. They so looked forward the his second inauguration and now, well maybe Romney wouldn't be as bad as Bush, and Hilary will be strong in 2016. Jokes are easier than open criticism and while no one is yet joking about Obama they have begun to to snicker at his underlings, such as Jay Carney and David Axelrod. Songs like the above classic and adjective such as crestfallen and subdued keep bouncing through my head as the hosts and their sympathetic guests opine on the upcoming Wisconsin recall election, the Court's impending overturning of Obamacare and the general election.
Aside from Obama's sinking poll numbers the absence of Occupy and say a Sandra Fluke (whatever happened to all those bright and sensitive young people?) the only relevant news is the sinking economy. Bad polling and higher unemployment are not the sort of topics that excite the base. When Maureen Dowd writes that a tornado watch was the best thing that happened to the White House last week and Bill Clinton describes Mitt Romney's career as "sterling" what are MSNBC commentators to do. They might not disown Obama but they won't bring him flowers anymore.