Gibbs: Obama isn't campaigning for Coakley this week -- DEMS may LOSE 60th vote in Senate

[FourScore]

This is unbelievable. What are they thinking??? I just don't get it.

Monday, January 11, 2010
Gibbs: Obama isn't going to campaign for Coakley this week, despite the fact that we may lose our 60th vote in the Senate
by John Aravosis (DC) on 1/11/2010 07:08:00 PM

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said today that the President will not be campaigning for Martha Coakley in Massachusetts this week because "it's not on his schedule." Joe wrote this morning about how vitally important it is that Democrats hold on to Ted Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts. A lot of people are worried about whether Coakley will win. And as Joe notes, yesterday's PPP poll has Coakley down by 1 - and they've been, to quote Joe, "scarily accurate." That's why Joe wrote about how important it is for the President to go to Massachusetts and help Coakley keep our 60th seat in the Senate.

This is a race the Democrats should not lose, and can not afford to lose. For the next eight days, the national Democratic party, led by Barack Obama, needs to do everything possible to make sure Coakley wins. Obama needs to rally Democrats to make sure they vote. If that means going to Boston and Springfield, then that's what he needs to do. And, the Democratic National Committee and Organizing for America better be in full campaign mode, too, sending regular email blasts to everyone in Massachusetts, and the surrounding states (they can still volunteer, even if they can't vote). And at least one of those email blasts has to come from the President himself.

Now, I'm sure some in the White House won't want to touch this race. After all, they'll argue, what if Obama helps Coakley and she loses? Then the media will say that Obama himself lost. News flash: If we lose Ted Kennedy's seat in liberal Massachusetts to a conservative Republican, and thus lose our quasi- 60 vote majority in the Senate, and thus endanger health care reform and the entire Democratic agenda, then you can bet the media, and the public, is going to take this as a sign that Obama lost, regardless of whether he helps or not. Isn't it better to do all he can to avoid this outcome?

The President did send an email today, and that's good. But Gibbs said today that the President isn't going to fly up there to help. And that's that. It's difficult to understand what is more important than watching the Democrats' entire agenda disappear next week when we lose our 60th vote in the Senate.

QUESTION: On politics, there are indications that Massachusetts Senate race is tightening up. The DNC sent a top staffer there today. Does the president have any intention of going up to Massachusetts to campaign on behalf of Martha Coakley?

GIBBS: The president doesn't have any travel plans to campaign in Massachusetts.

QUESTION: Robert, why isn't the president going to campaign for Martha Coakley? It's a tight race, very important to (inaudible) essentially?

GIBBS: It's not on our schedule to go to next week.

QUESTION: And why is it not on the schedule?

GIBBS: It's just not on the schedule.

QUESTION: Has he been asked by the Coakley campaign to come?

GIBBS: Not that I'm aware of.

QUESTION: Has he been asked to stay away?

GIBBS: Not that I'm aware of.

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: Is he -- is he concerned -- is there concern that his popularity -- I mean, it just doesn't make any sense that he wouldn't go up there. Is he concerned that his popularity ratings...

GIBBS: Not that I'm aware of.

QUESTION: ... if he goes up there, that he might hurt her campaign?

GIBBS: No. No. No.

QUESTION: So just -- just not on the schedule. It seems the scheduler actually who has decided not to send him.

GIBBS: All I can say was, you didn't ask me that. We just -- it's not on the schedule as a trip the president's going to make.

http://www.americablog.com/2010/01/gibbs-obama-isnt-going-to-campaign-for.html

[MadBadger]

1. Ask the Coakley Campaign why they havent asked him to come.

[FourScore]

2. That's not what he said. He said "Not that I'm AWARE of." Big difference.

[MadBadger]

8. Unless they are scheming behind his back (which I highly doubt), they never asked him.

[FourScore]

9. Then a simple "no" would have sufficed.

[TheWraith]

11. And if he says "No," then we find out that some junior staffer called the WH switchboard...

...the story becomes "White House refuses request to campaign for Coakley, Lies about it!!!one!"

[leftstreet]

3. The Democrats WANT to be in the minority

Powder. Dry. Must Keep.

[cliffordu]

7. Garbage.

[debbierlus]

15. This having the 60 votes is making them look really bad

Better to have the 59 to justify constant capitulation to the corporate powers that be.

[Raine]

18. I've come that conclusion

I don't think they want 60 it's makes it harder to come up with an excuse about why they don't do what the people want and instead do what the big corps want. x(

[rpannier]

4. Boston Globe seems to disagree with the numbers

A new Boston Globe poll shows Martha Coakley (D), "buoyed by her durable statewide popularity, enjoys a solid, 15-percentage-point lead" among likely voters over rival Scott Brown (R) in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race, 50% to 35%.

In fact, Coakley's lead grows to 17 points -- 53% to 36% -- when undecideds leaning toward a candidate are included in the tally.

Said pollster Andrew Smith: "She's simply better known and better liked than Brown. If there ever was a time for a Republican to win here, now is the time. The problem is you've got a special election and a relatively unknown Republican going up against a well-liked Democrat."

A poll last night suggested the race was too close to call because of an enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Democrats.

link:
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/01/10/this_poll_has_coakley_way_ahead.html

[FVZA_Colonel]

19. I think I'd put a bit more weight behind that than Rasmussen.

What is the Globe's rep. for accuracy in terms of polls?

[WI_DEM]

26. the Globe poll was started five days before the PPP poll.

[leftynyc]

34. This is a brand new poll

that was done after the last debate on Monday. It has her up by 8 (sorry for no direct link, I found it on a Daily kos diary)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/1/14/825036/-Coakley-leads-by-8-in-new-poll

[fascisthunter]

27. so does she have a large lead or is it "too close to call"?

[madrchsod]

5. illinois is also up in the air....

he`s not going to have the magic 60 after november.

[WeDidIt]

21. Bullshit

Illinois is solid Dem.

I live here. Nobody likes the Republicans. Kirk has no chance and he has the best chance of any Repuke in the state.

[truebrit71]

32. Care to make a wager on that? I live in Illinois too..and I think that there is enough "Dem-fatigue"

..state-wide for all of the major fall races to go to the GOP..

Who do you think will be the Dem candidate for the Burris's job?

With Blago, burgeoning state debt, the Burris affair I think we're in some deep shit...

[nevergiveup]

6. If internal polling indicates this seat to be in serious trouble Obama will be there in 5 minutes

and you can count on it.

[cali]

22. internal polling shows her up by 5 points as of yesterday according to Ambinder.

[leftynyc]

36. For what it's worth

Mike Barnicle (who really does have a handle on MA politics) said this morning that internal polling on both sides has her up 5.

[debbierlus]

10. She is leading by 20 points. And, what the hell is the point of having 60 seats, if we chronically

Sell out to the corporations.

This game is over.

I think they would be relieved to have the political excuse of only having 59 seats, so they could put the blame on Republicans.

It is pathetic.

[Bluebear]

12. Sorry - IT'S NOT ON HIS SCHEDULE.

[donheld]

13. Maybe he's going to spend the week-end checking inventory

of all those of us under the bus.

[Dinger]

16. Fucking Crowded Isn't It?

Goddamn.:grr:

[donheld]

20. OUCH! Get off my toe

:D

[laughingliberal]

29. ROFL!! nt

[David Zephyr]

14. He's too busy with the Goldman-Sachs fellows. Priorities are priorities.

If Ted Kennedy's seat is lost, this administration is in big doo doo.

[ecstatic]

17. Isn't this what DU and people like Aravosis wanted anyway?

All the complaints about how the healthcare bill sucks... maybe it's just the universe responding to all the negative energy put out there.

[WeDidIt]

24. Even if Coakley loses, HCR will be passed and signed

If Coakley loses, the only choice left is to pass the Senate bill word for word in the House. No reconcilation. 50% + 1 vote up or down it's done.

But all the shit you'd like to take out of the Senate bill and replace with the House version goes out the window.

[berni_mccoy]

23. Posted and debated endlessly yesterday. Coakly's campaign asked Obama to *not* come.

[WI_DEM]

25. Coakley has been a bad candidate who has run a lousy campaign and thought she could walk to

victory rather than campaign all-out. Hopefully this will change now. I still think she will win, but it shouldn't be close.

[FVZA_Colonel]

28. I do believe she'll win,

but it is embarassing how close it will probably be. I think she is putting out some harder ads of late, but she should have done so a lot sooner.

[ElmoBlatz]

30. Uhh... there's an earthquake. Haven't you heard?

The President is kind of busy trying to saving a few hundred thousand lives at the moment.

[Orrex]

31. Pfft. Where the hell are his priorities?

[leftynyc]

33. Pres Obama recorded an ad

for Coakley today.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/01/obama_kennedy_r.html

[Hawkowl]

35. 60 seats is a FUCKING BULLSHIT MEME

It is a mere excuse to borrow trillions from the Chinese and throw it down the rathole of the "wars" or "defense".

A strawman created by the Democratic leadership and their corporate masters to tax us and give the money to Wall Street.

An essential reason to deny us change and allow president Obama to smile and lie to us about breaking all his campaign promises about health care.

FUCK SIXTY SEATS.

[TornadoTN]

37. Maybe there are bigger issues in the world that need his attention

At this point, I say fuck the 60 votes - it's not like they do us any good anyway.

I'd rather see him leading this country in the face of a disaster in Haiti and all of the other issues that we are facing.