President Obama said, in a Rolling Stone interview:
It is inexcusable for any Democrat or progressive right now to stand on the sidelines in this midterm election. There may be complaints about us not having gotten certain things done, not fast enough, making certain legislative compromises. But right now, we've got a choice between a Republican Party that has moved to the right of George Bush and is looking to lock in the same policies that got us into these disasters in the first place, versus an administration that, with some admitted warts, has been the most successful administration in a generation in moving progressive agendas forward...
"We have to get folks off the sidelines. People need to shake off this lethargy, people need to buck up. Bringing about change is hard -- that's what I said during the campaign. It has been hard, and we've got some lumps to show for it. But if people now want to take their ball and go home, that tells me folks weren't serious in the first place.
This is the time for a gut check. Every one of us who supported President Obama in 2008 needs to seriously consider how difficult it has been to achieve more than any administration in the first two years -- against vicious opposition from the Republican minority.
This election is the most important election of our lifetime. That's right -- our lifetime. If we lose this election to a Republican majority, this presidency will be destroyed and we will lose all the progress that we have made. We need to remain committed to supporting Democrats that will help Preesident Obama complete his agenda. We will find out if the greatest Black turnout in 2008 was a reflection of our serious support for President Obama's agenda, or if we have the fortitude to see the battle through to victory.