Baltimore Sun: Vulnerable Dems seek distance from Obama

[steve2470]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/michael-jackson/sc-dc-obama-dems04-20100203,0,987524.story

As Congress begins picking through President Obama's vast election year budget, many Democratic incumbents and candidates seem to be finding something they love — to campaign against.

A Democratic Senate candidate in Missouri denounced the budget's sky-high deficit. A Florida Democrat whose district includes the Kennedy Space Center hit the roof over NASA budget cuts. And an endangered Senate Democrat denounced proposed cuts in farm subsidies.

A headline on the 2010 campaign website of Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), blares her opposition to Obama's farm budget: ``Blanche stands up for Arkansas farm families,'' it says.

Heading into an election season in which Republicans are trying to tie Democrats to Obama's unpopular policies, Obama's budget gives his fellow Democrats an unlikely campaign tool — a catalogue of ways to establish their distance from controversial aspects of his administration.

It is a time-tested campaign tactic for politicians to declare their independence of party leaders. But the tactic is particularly important for Democrats this year, because their party dominates Washington, and being an insider is a political liability in an anti-incumbent climate.

more at link above

[CreekDog]

1. This is like stealing the oxygen mask from your pilot

it seems smart if you look at it stupidly.

[babylonsister]

2. Except when they plead for him to show up and campaign. That

usually happens, too. That darned librul media. :eyes:

[AspenRose]

17. And that usually happens too late in the campaign to do any good.

[annabanana]

3. Oh Ba-roth-ER!

Is the Sun regarded as a right wing rag?

If not, maybe it should be.

[bluestateguy]

4. Any "Democrat" that seeks "distance" from Obama will not get my vote this year

nt

[Arkana]

5. And they'll all lose their seats anyway.

Turncoat fuckknobs.

[jenmito]

6. Yeah-it's REEEEALLY smart to distance yourself from the most popular person in your party.

:eyes:

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

21. Even Repukes in swing states are running ads with Obama in them. Who knew? n/t

[grantcart]

7. In september they will be on their knees begging him to come and see them

[ohiodemocratic]

9. The problem is that they saw how Obama went and saw Corzine and Coakley

And they lost to the Republican. And that was in northeastern states. Those in Southern states in which Obama has lower approval may have a point.

[Jennicut]

10. No, the candidates were piss poor in those states.

Chris Dodd dropped out and now the Dem has a big lead over the Repubs in CT.
Corzine was unpopular since he got in NJ, before Obama won in 2008. Coakley went on vacation during the campaign (!). The candidate have a lot to do with it.
Most important lesson learned is the way Gore ran away from Clinton in 2000. It did not help him any.

[grantcart]

12. Corzine's record was terrible and it was a revolt against the highest property

taxes in the country

Coakley is a terrible public speaker.

Also in by elections turnout it skewed so that only the most angry vote.

In any case these huge 'landslides' by the Republicans were by narrow margins.

[Arkana]

13. Obama had LITERALLY nothing to do with Corzine and Coakley losing

and if you think it did you're not paying attention.

[3waygeek]

8. Must be some kind of Baltimore dialect thing...

where "vulnerable" means "stupid".

[rasputin1952]

11. Worst tactical mistake that can be made...

Just when PO is showing leadership and batted the R's around, the last thing one should do is distance themselves from someone who is accomplishing things.

:eyes:

[AspenRose]

15. On the bright side, it'll purge some blue dog DINOs

:shrug: :banghead:

[CakeGrrl]

16. My thoughts exactly

Let them purge themselves from Congress since they can't seem to stand with the President from their own party.

[Lord Helmet]

14. That strategy worked out great for Creigh Deeds, didn't it?

[euphoria12leo]

24. Deeds decided he didn't want help from

Obama. By the time Deeds decided he needed Obama's help he seemed desperate. The WH wasn't to thrilled to help. It was too late. Yep, what a strategy.

[Lord Helmet]

27. that's what happened with Coakley too

interesting back story on that mess

[euphoria12leo]

28. Very interesting

Obama put aside Coakley's petty backstabbing to campaign for her after she snubbed him. He got the blame for not helping her out early on when it sounds like she thought she didn't need him. But if she was that big on backstabbing maybe she just purposely blew the election to embarrass the president. She sure didn't try to win. :shrug:

[bigdarryl]

18. So these shit heads who all have lower approval ratings rather not have the President with

an approval rating of 51% not campaign for them.Ed is right what a bunch of cowards

[Phx_Dem]

19. Maybe Palin will campaign for them.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

20. That doesn't make sense! His approval rating is over 50%!!!!! n/t

[WI_DEM]

22. Note it is by and large the conservadems who think that acting more like a republican will do the

trick.

[impik]

23. Yea, get the hell out of him. You're just taking him down

[euphoria12leo]

25. Not just Obama, they're pulling all of us down. n/t

[Hutzpa]

26. That would be their own undoing

maybe they where never democrats in the first place, ignoring their democratic principles for big bucks,
they never believed in what this President stands for anyway, most of them are from the red states and
have become a nightmare to work with, so they definitely will be doing the President a favor.