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Should PEBO Go Down to Georgia?
November 20, 2008 9:55 PM
One of the few complaints Democrats level about PEBO (President-elect Barack Obama) was that he did little to spread the wealth of his magnificence to help other Democrats in their election contests.
Some Democrats in the House and Senate say that the Obama campaign field staff did a great deal to help out House and Senate candidates. But in terms of personal appearances and TV and radio ads, there was very little, if anything, that Obama himself did personally.
It's not that Democrats don't understand it -- popularity is a valuable commodity, and one wants to spend it carefully so as to not cheapen it.
Obama had his own race to run and win, and at the end of the day who knew he would win so handily?
But Democrats complain, nonetheless.
Back when PEBO was a mere senator and presidential candidate, despite his strong popularity in states such as Maine (which he won by 17 percentage points) or Minnesota (which he won by 10 percentage points), he refused entreaties to cut TV ads for the Senate candidates.
Did Democrats ask Obama to cut a TV ad for, for instance, Minnesota Senate candidate Al Franken and he said no?
Democrats say yep.
He only cut one TV ad for any Democratic Senate candidate, in fact -- for Jeff Merkley in Oregon.
Explained Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, to the New York Observer's Jason Horowitz: “In Oregon, he did the only commercial he filmed because I called him and I said, ‘Look, [incumbent GOP Sen.] Gordon Smith has put you, Barack Obama, on TV three or four times trying to convey the impression that you are really for him. The only antidote would be a commercial.’ The campaign was reluctant to do commercials for all the obvious reasons. But he stepped up to the plate and did this.”
What did PEBO's reluctance mean, ultimately? Perhaps nothing. Perhaps something.
"There were candidates from both the House and Senate who wanted Obama to do more for them," a knowledgeable Democrat says. And there was some frustration.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was re-elected. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., MAY have been reelected (a recount will determine that).
Democrats from both those races would have loved Obama to have dropped in and sprinkled some of his magic popularity powder on them.
On the other hand, says our smart and fair Democratic source, "Senate and House candidates never think the guy at the top of the ticket is doing enough," and there was widespread understanding that the better Obama did -- with or without TV ads and personal appearances on behalf of the down-ticket candidates -- the better Democrats would do overall.
Democratic Senate candidates and many states were more popular than Obama, so they didn't need his help: Senator-elect Kay Hagan, D-N.C., for instance. The Udalls in New Mexico and Colorado. Senator-elect Mark Warner, D-Va.
Senator-elect Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., whose husband once incorrectly contemplated how PEBO's youthful drug use might be an impediment to the presidency, won by 15 points; Obama won New Hampshire by 9 points.
And while Obama won in Maine by 17 points, the Democratic Senate candidate there lost to Collins by 22 points. So every last drop of Obama's mojo wouldn't have made the difference there.
This Democrat says Merkley wouldn't have won without Obama's TV ad, that his field staffers in North Carolina helped Hagan and were it not for the Obama staffers in Georgia, Jim Martin would not currently be in that Dec. 2 Senate run-off race against Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.
Which brings us to that run-off race. There are 100 Obama field staffers on the ground working for Martin, and ABC News' Teddy Davis reports that Obama has cut a radio ad for Martin.
"The elections aren't over," Obama says in the ad. (Listen to it HERE.) "I want to urge you to turn out one more time and help elect Jim Martin to the United States Senate."
But, unlike Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who sucked it up and went down to Georgia to campaign for Chambliss, Obama is not planning right now on making a personal appearance or cutting a TV spot for Martin.
"You can see what the calculation is going through their heads right now," the Democrat says of Team Obama. "It's not a high-reward proposition for him to go to Georgia right now."
If Martin wins, Obama will get the credit, the Democrat says, since Martin and Chambliss are very much running the race as a referendum on Obama. But if Martin loses, no one will blame Obama since, hey, it's Georgia.
On the other hand, says the Democrat, "if Obama goes and campaigns there, he does own the success or failure of Jim Martin."
And with two wars, a financial meltdown, and a Cabinet to confirm, that is something PEBO will not do. Especially since Martin probably will not win. Pick your battles.
- jpt
November 20, 2008 in Obama, Barack | Permalink | Share | User Comments (38)
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Don't tell me what to do! After Tuesday I will tell you...please get your wallets ready. I HAVE COME!
Posted by: PEBO | Jan 18, 2009 4:34:26 PM
President Elect Barack Obama's priority is getting through this transistion period as smoothly and quickly as possible. He did send a team of people, and made a radio address on Jim Martin's behalf. Also Bill Clinton and Al Gore is stomping on Martin's behalf. The supporters in all 50 states along with the Dem base will need to step in and step up and help this Senate battleground if they believe Martin will positively contribute to the Obama Administration and have Georgians best interest at heart. I believe that Georgia including parts outside of Atlanta is very progressive and is becoming more progessive by the day! Georgia's looking pretty purple right now and is about to turn blue any day now!
Posted by: ILuvAmeria | Nov 22, 2008 8:18:01 AM
I've got a better acronym:
NOPE
NO OBAMA isnt my PRESIDENT ELECT.
Posted by: Opey | Nov 21, 2008 4:56:25 PM
The PEBO went down to Georgia, lookin for an election to steal.
Franken was behind, he was in a bind, and he was willing to make a deal.
He came upon Jim Martin, tellin lies and blowin snot.
He jumped up on a hickory stump and said boy let me tell you what.
You tell pretty good fibs boy, but I'm a liar too
And if you care to take a dare I've got free healthcare for you.
Posted by: Chingear | Nov 21, 2008 4:52:45 PM
i thought that said PEDO.
Posted by: jim martin | Nov 21, 2008 1:22:17 PM
Obama cheated, the Sheeple Bleated.
Posted by: Jig | Nov 21, 2008 1:20:28 PM
How's everybody liking the Obama so far?
My taxes have doubled since he was elected.
It is ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE!
Posted by: JimRon | Nov 21, 2008 1:13:07 PM
Obama has no responsibility to retire Hillary's debt. He had an election to win and now a country to run. It's up to others to step up to the plate on that.
Posted by: Terri | Nov 21, 2008 12:10:03 PM
Now Obama may be responsible for the market tanking? Even though he's not in office yet and holed up with his transition team in Chicago? Really? Wow.
Posted by: Terri | Nov 21, 2008 12:05:29 PM
For the past eight years, everytime the Republicans lost a special election we were told it was a referendum on the Bush administraton. Well, that won't fly with this Geogia Senate seat run-off.
If anything, it may be the first referendum on President-Elect Obama (But maybe not -- I will give him the benefit of doubt that was never extended by the media to President Bush in any stand alone senate or gubernatorial elections.)
Similarly, I won't necessarily blame the tanking stock market on Obama. But it is curious the media never mentions his election when they list outside factors that may or may not have be influencing the market. They just assume his election has absolutely nothing to do with it.
When Bush took office, back in January 2001, it was 10 months after the NASDAQ crash that occurred under President Clinton's watch. But to hear the media descibe things, at that time, the sad economic picture was Bush's fault from the first day he took office.
Now, once again, we have with a change in adminstration on the tails of an economic downturn. Will we see the media apply the same standard of holding the new President responsible for the state of the economy and completely absolving the outgoing President? The answer to that question is no. and i don't have a beef with that. I just wish that standard was applied back in 2001. But for that to have occurred we would have had to have an objective, unbiased media.
An objective, unbiased media? That'll be the day when cows fly and Obama -- always the calculating politician -- takes a political risk, or keeps that campaign promise to make the ocean levels fall.
Posted by: OBAMANATION [uh-bom-uh-NEY-shuhn] | Nov 21, 2008 9:59:52 AM
Think Obama might hurt Martin more than he'd help. Clinton and Gore are down there...they're smarter choices.
Posted by: Brooklyn Democrat | Nov 21, 2008 9:05:34 AM
and Jake "PEBO"?
why do I have Disney themes from the 80's stuck in my head?
"I can show you the world..."
Posted by: dl | Nov 21, 2008 8:28:35 AM
I dunno
could it be that he has more pressing issues...or a state race for that extra person is worth 2 % of his time before inauguration when we are faced with the massive tidal wave of political economic and social disasters about to crash down on his head...
uh maybe...not ...oy.
Posted by: dl | Nov 21, 2008 8:26:54 AM
President-Elect Obama should not go to Georgia!
There are other notable Democrats that should be able to go to Georgia and lend support!
Posted by: Shay | Nov 21, 2008 8:22:32 AM
Sorry to sound like a broken record, but why this discussion of whether Obama is going to help Martin is significant is that, once again, Obama is trying to have it both ways. He has sent top campaign workers to Georgia to work with Martin and GOTV. Yet he himself will not appear, and risk political capital. He wants the Senate seat to go his way and yet he will not even cut a quick commercial. Bill Clinton showed up and put on quite a show, with his best southern drawl and folksy charm, firing up the base. Obama is supposed to be not only the president-elect, but also the defacto leader of his party.
As Jake points out, this is not a new development but part of a pattern. Chambliss is popular in Georgia and other any other circumstances would win hands down. This year, things were complicated by the financial mess and the unpopularity of Republicans in general. Still, I expect he will pull this one out. So Obama does not want to gamble on a potential loser. He is more concerned with his reputation than the good of the party, seems to me. That's too bad.
Posted by: moderate | Nov 21, 2008 7:33:02 AM
No, Obama should not go to Georgia. He's got much more important things to do. I would rather he spend his time figuring out how to undo the huge mess we are in than to spend it campaigning for a candidate in a runoff election. Chambliss is little better than a thug, and he is running in state that is (ahem) not the most progressive state in the country. If Obama went there, all he would do is give the right-wingers a talking point (namely to accuse him of not having his priorities straight). So, he's best staying put and doing just what he's doing.
Posted by: Dee Dee Lynn | Nov 21, 2008 2:50:39 AM
PEBO, I guess he gets the kind of
respect that this country has come
to live by. I don't recall any
other president elect referred to by
using an acronym.
Posted by: pr | Nov 21, 2008 2:13:59 AM
Too late for personal endorsements. PEBO has led Democrats to the hilltop, now they must take the next steps alone and allow PEBO to stay his new path as the leader of All Americans. Have faith in your fellow Americans do do the right thing in the end.
Posted by: Hopeful | Nov 21, 2008 1:45:25 AM
YES! PEBO needs to go to GA,
he will bring out the new dem. base in ga. he needs to go, and he needs to flood the airways with ads.
looks like franken will not win in minn.
so the ga win is big.
PEBO needs to go to ga.
Posted by: What? | Nov 21, 2008 1:20:32 AM
Absolutely not! But maybe he could run an ad for the Senator.
Posted by: Anita Goerlich | Nov 21, 2008 1:02:00 AM
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