In other words, 'I know I’m unpopular and I don’t want to hurt their electoral prospects.'
Oh my. How far we’ve come since "Hope and Change" was an actual catchphrase:
President Obama, struggling with low approval ratings after a dispiriting year of setbacks, conceded in private remarks Wednesday that some fellow Democrats might not want his help in this fall’s elections.
The candid self-appraisal came during a policy retreat with the Senate Democratic caucus at the Washington Nationals’ stadium, part of a flurry of outreach efforts with congressional Democrats this week focused on crafting strategies for the midterms.
“He said he knew he is not popular in some of the states so he would not be offended if he were not invited to visit them this year,” said one senator who requested anonymity to discuss the private meeting. “But he said he could be helpful in some parts of some states.”
But can Democrats really trust the president won’t take offense if and when they decide to tell him not to come? I mean, he did embarrass Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) last month during a speech in North Carolina by calling her out by name when she was obviously trying to avoid him. Something tells me he doesn’t especially love being snubbed by his fellow Democrats.
Speaking of Hagan, check out this amazing video America Rising flagged yesterday from 2008. Watch her decry her then-opponent, Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), as nothing more than a partisan hack North Carolinians shouldn't trust:
“It is time for someone to reach across party lines and finally get something done in this country. Voting 92% of the time with the president, whether you support him or not, doesn’t work here in North Carolina.”
The irony? Since assuming her seat in the upper chamber she’s voted with the president…96 percent of the time. Oops. Yes, the trailblazing candidate from North Carolina who ran on a platform of bipartisanship has proven both unable and unwilling to say no to her boss. Surprise. Parting thought: if voting with one’s president 92 percent of the time “doesn’t work here in North Carolina,” as Hagan has said, how does she justify putting her name forward again for another six-year term when she’s proven herself to be even more partisan than her predecessor?
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