WOONSOCKET, R.I. - President Barack Obama’s decision not to endorse the Democratic gubernatorial candidate here turned a routine campaign stop Monday into a political headache, complete with the candidate telling Obama to "shove it."
Putting personal loyalty before party politics, Obama decided not to endorse Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Frank Caprio, who represents the party’s best chance to seize an office Republicans have held for 16 years, and casting a shadow over the president’s first visit to the state since taking office. The non-endorsement, however, has been viewed as tacit Obama support for former Sen. Lincoln Chafee, an independent candidate who is running neck-and-neck with Caprio in a three-way race.
The presidential snub left Caprio fuming on a talk-radio show that Obama can take his endorsement and “shove it” – one of the harshest insults Obama has faced from a candidate all year. The candidate was a no-show when the president toured a local factory here, even though he had been invited by the White House. And instead of going to the two presidential-headlined Democratic fundraisers, Caprio spent the day doing his own tour of small businesses.
But the non-endorsement also triggered an outburst from the Democratic Governors Association, and left the White House seeking cover from the friendly fire.
“Out of respect for his friend Lincoln Chafee, the president decided not to get involved in this race,” spokesman Bill Burton told reporters during a briefing on Air Force One.
Pressed on how the White House can claim it is doing everything possible to help Democrats while the president stands on the sidelines of a competitive race, Burton stuck to the script: “The president's feeling is, he has respect for his friend Lincoln Chafee, and he’s not going to get involved in this race,” he said.
Chafee, a former Republican who is the son of longtime senator John Chafee, poses a dilemma for Obama. A moderate New England Republican who served with Obama in the Senate, he lost his bid for reelection in 2006. But just after leaving the GOP, he gave Obama a high-profile endorsement before the state’s 2008 presidential primary.
At the same time, however, Caprio, endorsed rival Hillary Clinton during her epic battle with Obama for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Clinton took the Rhode Island Democratic primary with 58 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile, the national attention the scuffle has drawn all but overshadowed Obama’s original goal: Protecting the House seat being vacated by Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a Democrat who is the son of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a close Obama ally. The younger Kennedy is retiring after eight terms in Congress; taking the seat would be a huge symbolic victory for Republicans.
Democrats are hosting fundraisers at the Rhode Island Convention Center and at the home of Arnold "Buff" Chace Jr. – a longtime Chafee supporter – to benefit House candidate David Cicilline and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Chafee spokesman Mike Trainor said Monday that Chafee wasn’t invited to any of Obama’s events, and the two haven’t spoken since Obama took office.
"We're independent, and we'd never expect to get an endorsement from another party," Trainor told POLITICO. "He did not solicit an endorsement in any shape or form."
2 - continues
Source
.
Putting personal loyalty before party politics, Obama decided not to endorse Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Frank Caprio, who represents the party’s best chance to seize an office Republicans have held for 16 years, and casting a shadow over the president’s first visit to the state since taking office. The non-endorsement, however, has been viewed as tacit Obama support for former Sen. Lincoln Chafee, an independent candidate who is running neck-and-neck with Caprio in a three-way race.
The presidential snub left Caprio fuming on a talk-radio show that Obama can take his endorsement and “shove it” – one of the harshest insults Obama has faced from a candidate all year. The candidate was a no-show when the president toured a local factory here, even though he had been invited by the White House. And instead of going to the two presidential-headlined Democratic fundraisers, Caprio spent the day doing his own tour of small businesses.
But the non-endorsement also triggered an outburst from the Democratic Governors Association, and left the White House seeking cover from the friendly fire.
“Out of respect for his friend Lincoln Chafee, the president decided not to get involved in this race,” spokesman Bill Burton told reporters during a briefing on Air Force One.
Pressed on how the White House can claim it is doing everything possible to help Democrats while the president stands on the sidelines of a competitive race, Burton stuck to the script: “The president's feeling is, he has respect for his friend Lincoln Chafee, and he’s not going to get involved in this race,” he said.
Chafee, a former Republican who is the son of longtime senator John Chafee, poses a dilemma for Obama. A moderate New England Republican who served with Obama in the Senate, he lost his bid for reelection in 2006. But just after leaving the GOP, he gave Obama a high-profile endorsement before the state’s 2008 presidential primary.
At the same time, however, Caprio, endorsed rival Hillary Clinton during her epic battle with Obama for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Clinton took the Rhode Island Democratic primary with 58 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile, the national attention the scuffle has drawn all but overshadowed Obama’s original goal: Protecting the House seat being vacated by Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a Democrat who is the son of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a close Obama ally. The younger Kennedy is retiring after eight terms in Congress; taking the seat would be a huge symbolic victory for Republicans.
Democrats are hosting fundraisers at the Rhode Island Convention Center and at the home of Arnold "Buff" Chace Jr. – a longtime Chafee supporter – to benefit House candidate David Cicilline and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Chafee spokesman Mike Trainor said Monday that Chafee wasn’t invited to any of Obama’s events, and the two haven’t spoken since Obama took office.
"We're independent, and we'd never expect to get an endorsement from another party," Trainor told POLITICO. "He did not solicit an endorsement in any shape or form."
2 - continues
Source
.
No comments:
Post a Comment