President Barack Obama will throw his "full support" behind Republican-turned-Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday.
Obama will campaign and raise money for Specter's reelection in Pennsylvania next year, Gibbs said at the daily briefing.
Asked if that applied to a Democratic primary, Gibbs said: "Full support means full support."
But here we are on primary eve 2010 and Obama is nowhere to be seen.
President Barack Obama says he loves Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) -- just not quite enough to hazard an 11th-hour political trip to Pennsylvania for an ally of convenience increasingly viewed as unlikely to win.
Just last year, the White House was crowing about Specter's conversion to the Democratic Party, and Obama pledged, "He will have my full support. . ."
Tuesday's primary is telling a different story: Once thought to be an unalloyed asset for most any Democratic candidate, Obama's personal involvement is no longer guaranteed - or guaranteed to succeed.
Just ask Martha Coakley. Or Jon Corzine. Or Creigh Deeds. Hey, it's a cold, cruel world out there, Arlen, where allegiances can shift on a dime. But then, you knew that, didn't you?
Nevertheless, I wouldn't count old Arlen out. He does have a record of pulling out of electoral tight spots at the last minute, and his opponent ... does not.
While it's tough to pick a side in this race between disgraceful and repugnant, here are a few factoids to keep in mind:
- Barely three months into his first term in the House, Sestak agreed to give this keynote speech at a fundraising dinner for the Philadelphia chapter of CAIR. More on that here, and here.
- In January, 2010, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), supported by J Street (of course), spearheaded a letter to President Obama urging him to lift Israel's "Gaza blockade." Joe Sestak was one of just 54 (count 'em) members of the House who signed that letter.
- In March, 2010, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), spearheaded a letter to Secretary Clinton re-affirming the U.S. commitment to the bond between the U.S. and Israel. Joe Sestak was not among the 334 members of the House (164 of them Democrats) to sign that one. (A similar letter in the Senate was signed by Arlen Specter.)
No longer being a Democrat, it's not my choice. Good luck, PA.
Note: For those overachievers who find this six-year-old post of mine ... what can I say? I've evolved.
