Dem Tag Loses Luster
Friday, October 29th, 2010
Photo: Google.com
“He can take his endorsement and really shove it, as far as I’m concerned.”
- Frank Caprio, Rhode Island’s gubernatorial candidate
That was Frank Caprio’s warm welcome to the president Monday morning, just hours before Obama came to visit Rhode Island. Coming from a Democratic candidate in an almost wholly blue state — Obama won by a landslide there two years ago — Caprio’s statement made headlines across the nation and served as an unpleasant reminder of the Dems’ weak position this election season.
Earlier that morning, the Providence Journal reported that the president would not be endorsing Caprio; apparently, he decided not to endorse anyone in Rhode Island’s gubernatorial race out of respect for Lincoln Chaffee, the independent candidate who endorsed Obama back in 2008. The move was a strange one for Obama though, since he’s been campaigning across the country and endorsing as many Democrats as possible in a somewhat desperate attempt to save his party from obliteration this November.
While perhaps Obama’s decision to stay out of the Rhode Island campaign was a decent gesture, it’s blown up in his face: the statement caused quite a stir in the media, bringing more attention to the Democrats’ issues than Obama probably intended. Caprio is pissed and isn’t hiding it. In fact, he’s using the lack of endorsement as political leverage. He described the White House’s decision as “Washington insider politics at its worst,” presumably because Chaffee and Obama used to work together in the Senate. He also said that he would wear it “as a badge of honor” that Obama doesn’t want to endorse him, claiming that he is “a different kind of Democrat” than the president.
This scene is strangely reminiscent of the presidential campaign two years ago, when Republicans did their best to put distance between themselves and the unpopular President Bush. While Obama’s approval ratings aren’t as low as Bush’s were, it’s clear that he’s lost support over the past two years. Now, with comments like Caprio’s, it seems that the Democrats are falling apart.
States that voted heavily in favor of Obama in 2008 are leaning towards Republican congressmen or governors. What’s more, a number of Democratic incumbents are being seriously challenged, like Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who’s been a member of Congress since 1983 but is neck-and-neck with her Republican opponent. The fact that Obama even went to Rhode Island reveals the Dems’ vulnerability: he got 63 percent of that state’s vote when he ran for president. Rhode Island hasn’t had a Democratic governor in almost 16 years, but it’s still considered a blue state and not one that needs to be paid much attention.
People like Caprio, however, are making it clear that they’d prefer to distance themselves from their party leader since he’s not as popular as he once was. Caprio has been milking the unprecedented media coverage that resulted from his statement, such as the New York Post’s Tuesday headline “Shove it!” Clearly, Obama’s lack of endorsement has given Caprio more attention than he could have gotten on his own. It even scored him a spot on the Today Show Tuesday morning, where he defended his statement and accused Obama of playing Washington politics.
“He’s the Democratic nominee, for goodness sakes,” RNC chairman Michael Steele said to the New York Post. “It’s really insulting [to Caprio], when you think about it.”
Unfortunately for Obama, his attempt to stay quiet about the Rhode Island gubernatorial race has generated even more headlines than if he just sucked it up and endorsed Caprio. Voters want to see a unified political party come election season and Caprio’s comment instead magnified the problems of the Democrats, sending out a clear message: the Dems are screwed.
That was Frank Caprio’s warm welcome to the president Monday morning, just hours before Obama came to visit Rhode Island. Coming from a Democratic candidate in an almost wholly blue state — Obama won by a landslide there two years ago — Caprio’s statement made headlines across the nation and served as an unpleasant reminder of the Dems’ weak position this election season.
Earlier that morning, the Providence Journal reported that the president would not be endorsing Caprio; apparently, he decided not to endorse anyone in Rhode Island’s gubernatorial race out of respect for Lincoln Chaffee, the independent candidate who endorsed Obama back in 2008. The move was a strange one for Obama though, since he’s been campaigning across the country and endorsing as many Democrats as possible in a somewhat desperate attempt to save his party from obliteration this November.
While perhaps Obama’s decision to stay out of the Rhode Island campaign was a decent gesture, it’s blown up in his face: the statement caused quite a stir in the media, bringing more attention to the Democrats’ issues than Obama probably intended. Caprio is pissed and isn’t hiding it. In fact, he’s using the lack of endorsement as political leverage. He described the White House’s decision as “Washington insider politics at its worst,” presumably because Chaffee and Obama used to work together in the Senate. He also said that he would wear it “as a badge of honor” that Obama doesn’t want to endorse him, claiming that he is “a different kind of Democrat” than the president.
This scene is strangely reminiscent of the presidential campaign two years ago, when Republicans did their best to put distance between themselves and the unpopular President Bush. While Obama’s approval ratings aren’t as low as Bush’s were, it’s clear that he’s lost support over the past two years. Now, with comments like Caprio’s, it seems that the Democrats are falling apart.
States that voted heavily in favor of Obama in 2008 are leaning towards Republican congressmen or governors. What’s more, a number of Democratic incumbents are being seriously challenged, like Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who’s been a member of Congress since 1983 but is neck-and-neck with her Republican opponent. The fact that Obama even went to Rhode Island reveals the Dems’ vulnerability: he got 63 percent of that state’s vote when he ran for president. Rhode Island hasn’t had a Democratic governor in almost 16 years, but it’s still considered a blue state and not one that needs to be paid much attention.
People like Caprio, however, are making it clear that they’d prefer to distance themselves from their party leader since he’s not as popular as he once was. Caprio has been milking the unprecedented media coverage that resulted from his statement, such as the New York Post’s Tuesday headline “Shove it!” Clearly, Obama’s lack of endorsement has given Caprio more attention than he could have gotten on his own. It even scored him a spot on the Today Show Tuesday morning, where he defended his statement and accused Obama of playing Washington politics.
“He’s the Democratic nominee, for goodness sakes,” RNC chairman Michael Steele said to the New York Post. “It’s really insulting [to Caprio], when you think about it.”
Unfortunately for Obama, his attempt to stay quiet about the Rhode Island gubernatorial race has generated even more headlines than if he just sucked it up and endorsed Caprio. Voters want to see a unified political party come election season and Caprio’s comment instead magnified the problems of the Democrats, sending out a clear message: the Dems are screwed.
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