Obama Keeps Showing Up In Georgia Ads -- But Not In The Flesh
Barack Obama has been eerily silent on the question of whether he'll campaign in the high-stakes Georgia runoff, even as pressure is mounting on him to publicly declare whether he plans to stump for Democratic candidate Jim Martin.
And the oddity of Obama's silence is only being exacerbated by the fact that -- whether he likes it or not -- he's the star of the race in a lot of ads, like this latest one from the Martin campaign:
"In the Senate, I'll help Barack Obama pass a middle-class tax cut. Saxby's against it," Martin says. "I approve this message because we need a Senator who's ready to go to work on the economy, not stand in the way."
The GOP has been telling Georgia voters that they should re-elect GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss in order to check Obama's power on Capitol Hill, while Martin is turning that issue right around to say he should be elected so that he'll support the popular president-elect.
A key difference, though, is that Chambliss has big names like John McCain and now Sarah Palin coming into the state to fire up the base for next week's low-turnout runoff. But Obama, who is the real center of attention and could help Martin boost his own message, hasn't shown up.
I have no problem with this. I don't live in Georgia, nor do 95+% of the people who hired Obama to be president. He is now doing the job we hired him to do.
If there were a competent predesessor still working as President and/or there were not daily crises, I'd be glad for him to campaign in Georgia.
As it is, sorry, Jim. You need to win this one without the Big O's assist.
November 25, 2008 5:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why is this a big deal? The economy is in the tank, our foreign policy is in ruins, the Constitution has been shredded over the past eight years. I want my president-elect to be concentrating on solving those problems, not wasting time stumping for another candidate.
We just endured an administration that put politics ahead of governance. Do we really want another one?
November 25, 2008 5:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
The ability of Obama to fix those things is directly tied to whether there are 57 or 58 Democratic Senators...
November 25, 2008 5:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, his ability to fix those things depends on him being able to garner 60 votes to cut off a filibuster.
That's going to require some additional Republicans whether there are 57, 58 or 59 Democrats (assuming that the Democrats all unite).
November 25, 2008 6:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
As you've said before (may be misquoting), gettin all Democrats to unite is like herding cats.
November 25, 2008 6:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Heh, looks like I'm actually quoting Sarah Palin, with my "gettin".
November 25, 2008 6:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fair or unfair, I can already see the headlines if he did head down to Georgia to campaign. "Obama Shirks Economic Crisis to Campaign for Georgia Runoff".
I think he's making the right decision here, much as I also would like to see him down there.
November 25, 2008 5:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
You said it.
"Obama engages in partisan politics while families suffer" would probably be the headline at The Page.
Is it fair to describe it as "Obama's silence"? I thought he recorded a robocall as well as a TV commercial?
Actually, at the right is a video with the title "Obama injects himself into big Georgia Senate race". So he's being silent but simultaneously injecting himself into the race?
Yikes. Our President-elect is truly a multi-talented individual...
November 25, 2008 5:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not a TV commercial. Radio. My mistake.
November 25, 2008 5:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
The flip side (showed my age on that one!) is if Obama campaigns in person and Martin loses--a distinct possibility--the headlines will portray him as being a weak leader. He's damned either way.
November 25, 2008 5:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
John McCain and Sarah Palin probably aren't too busy these days, but you can't say that about our president-elect. It's not surprising at all that Barack Obama is not rushing to Georgia to campaign, especially since he's trying to bring the country together and get away from the election mode of operation.
Hey, this is what happens when you win - especially in a difficult time like this. Let him do the job he was just elected to do.
November 25, 2008 5:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
As important as this Georgian Senatorial race may be, President-elect Obama has considerably more urgent issues to deal with at this moment than do John McCain or Sarah Palin.
November 25, 2008 5:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
I still can't get over the fact that Rudy's down there. It seems like half of those losers are down there just so the other GOP also-rans don't pick up an easy 2012 endorsement from the Chambliss should he win.
November 25, 2008 5:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Eric, you are as good a political analyst as you are a poll analyst. You should contact Ben Smith, or better, Drudge for a job.
November 25, 2008 8:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, I hear Obama's spending more time at the gym these days, gotta get back in shape.
In the end I think the real answer is that "Obama almost never ever ever does in-person endorsements".
November 26, 2008 8:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
Further discussion:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/desidero/2008/11/obama-no-midnight-train-to-geo.php
November 26, 2008 9:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
And more on Saxby Chambliss
November 26, 2008 9:40 AM | Reply | Permalink