Patterico's Pontifications

1/15/2010

Obama to Campaign for Coakley

Filed under: Health Care,Obama,Politics — DRJ @ 3:09 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

President Obama will travel to Massachusetts this Sunday to campaign for Democratic Senate candidate Martha Coakley:

“His health care bill at stake, President Barack Obama plans a weekend trip to Massachusetts to campaign for endangered Senate candidate Martha Coakley after a poll showed an edge for Republicans in the race for a seat Democrats have held for over a half-century.

The White House said he will travel there Sunday.

“If Scott Brown wins, it’ll kill the health bill,” Democrat Barney Frank, D-Mass., said, underscoring the stakes of Tuesday’s special election.

Said presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs: “I don’t think Scott Brown is going to win on Tuesday.”

This past week, Gibbs repeatedly denied Obama had any plans to go to Massachusetts, and Politico describes the last-minute decision as “a risky bet that puts Obama’s own credibility on the line on behalf of a weak candidate in hopes of averting a loss that would shatter the party’s 60-seat Senate supermajority.”

Polls show Independent Joseph L. Kennedy, a libertarian, has 3% of the vote. Some pollsters believe a late shift in his voters to either Brown or Coakley may decide the race. The weather and voter enthusiasm could also be factors:

“The election comes the day after the three-day Martin Luther King holiday weekend. Snow is also forecast for Monday, and many locals often head south for warmer weather or north to go skiing during the shortened work week.

Brown supporters, meanwhile, are mimicking Republicans and independents who shaped recent GOP victories in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races. They are showing a high degree of enthusiasm for their candidate, a relative unknown who has never run statewide, while Democrats have shown little passion for Coakley although she cruised in the four-way Democratic primary with nearly 50 percent of the vote.”

Unfortunately for Coakley, she hasn’t helped her cause with last minute gaffes such as a negative ad using an image of the World Trade Center while talking about greed, and her questionable position regarding ER workers who have religious objections to abortion: “You can have religious freedom, but you probably shouldn’t work in an emergency room.”

— DRJ

UPDATE BY PATTERICO: Meanwhile, there is still more positive news on the poll front. Brown’s internal poll shows him up by 11 points. Perhaps even sweeter, Coakley’s internal poll shows Brown up by 3. (All links via Hot Air.)

This might really happen.

18 Responses to “Obama to Campaign for Coakley”

  1. That ad was truly despicable, a new low for the corrupt and entirely venal Dem party. They’ll sink beneath scum itself in order to slime Brown enough to pull in a victory.

    Dmac (539341)

  2. Said presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs: “I don’t think Scott Brown is going to win on Tuesday.”

    Well, of course not; the lawsuits won’t be settled that quickly.

    ras (88eebb)

  3. Obama will save the day. He will be leading a convoy of ACORN buses into MA just in time for the election.

    Now if only the New Black Panthers weren’t in jail.

    Oh Wait!!! Holder took care of that.

    MU789 (514c52)

  4. here’s hoping he’s just as successful as he was with the Olympic bid. pass the popcorn please!

    redc1c4 (fb8750)

  5. “…Said presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs: ‘I don’t think Scott Brown is going to win on Tuesday.’…”

    Well, Gibbsie is half right.

    By the way, doesn’t that mental giant sound like some of our trolls?

    Eric Blair (ddbceb)

  6. The lies coming out of Obama’s mouth this weekend should be spectacular!

    daleyrocks (718861)

  7. I have to wonder just how effective his campaigning will be.

    I mean he’s campaigning on the final sunday of the election, I would think that in an off year special election most voters will already have made their decisions. In these events you typically get true believers.

    Also it’s the sunday of a three day weekend. If the Dems. are hoping to reach young people then they will be rather disappointed as the vast majority of them will be too hung over to pay attention to any news that day.

    At this point I’d put Brown’s odds at 50-50, but given that this is Mass. that’s pretty damn good. Regardless of the actual outcome I’d say this has already become something of a moral victory, but given that moral victories suck let’s keep pushing.

    bill (7ed7cb)

  8. For a bit of fun, watch for a video of an Obama speech from Massachusetts and turn the volume off. Watch the body language for two minutes. His body language at Copenhagen where he read from notes was priceless.

    snookered (6f83c5)

  9. Scott Brown’s boldness and advancing position are causing heads to explode. He’s far more of a threat to the Dems than ever before, and prescient, too.

    Surging GOP Senate candidate Scott Brown yesterday warned President Obama to “stay away” from the Bay State during his roiling race against Democratic rival Martha Coakley and not to interfere with their intensifying battle in the campaign’s final days.

    “He [Obama] should stay away and let Martha and I discuss the issues one on one,” Brown said. “The machine is coming out of the woodwork to get her elected. They’re bringing in outsiders, and we don’t need them.”

    Coakley’s campaign showed signs of panic as they scrambled to get a last-minute appearance by Obama to bolster their effort before Tuesday’s election.

    Dana (f64b7d)

  10. Re weekend:

    Rush pointed out that Sunday is also one of the three big pro football weekends (don’t watch it much anymore), this being playoffs. So, not a whole lot of people breathlessly waiting for TOTUS to hold forth.

    FWIW, Rush wouldn’t be surprised at a Boston Globe sliming over the weekend. Of course, the Coakley campaign hasn’t been very successful on that note. Timeshare in Aruba, as example of fat-cattism, anyone?

    Red County Pete (f1aa4a)

  11. Bill, I imagine the Obama visit is more about generating enthusiasm and turnout among Democrats than it is convincing undecided voters to go for Coakley.

    I agree, though, that I can’t see it making much difference, especially as any effect his visit would have on fundraising would come too late.

    Nels (a474bc)

  12. I expect open ballot box stuffing in front of the press who won’t report it.

    PCD (428eac)

  13. This will hurt Obama more than help Coakley.

    Mike K (2cf494)

  14. 13, Mike K, GOOD!!!!

    PCD (428eac)

  15. Said presidential spokesman Robert (Bagdad Bob), Gibbs: “I don’t think Scott Brown is going to win on Tuesday.”

    Those internal pollers best be careful else she will have them accused of making sex with long knives and children, and such stuff.

    *********

    It was said earlier by another, she needs a short drive off a narrow bridge.

    TC (0b9ca4)

  16. It seems like a waste of time to me except in the sense that the Dems are so worried they have to send Bubba and The One to stop the bleeding.

    What happened to that well-oiled Rahm-Axelrod machine anyway?

    Ag80 (76c798)

  17. Considering how unpopular the Healthcare bill is, I’m not sure if Mr Reform is the guy you wanna tie yourself to for an election. That whole “reminding people what you plan on doing” thing is a bad idea when they are against what you plan to do.

    Scott Jacobs (d027b8)

  18. Clinton and Obama pay lip service to Haiti, while their real attention is focused on Boston, as indicated by their travel plans. If Dems can get the vote gap close enough to force a recount then a Coakley win is in the bag.

    ropelight (67ffc0)


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