White House gloats they’re 2 and 0 against Palin, but in 2009 they’re only 1 for 3
BySarah Palin sure has gotten under the president’s skin. After Palin endorsed Doug Hoffman, Joe Biden was dispatched to Watertown, NY to help push Hoffman’s opponent, Bill Owens over the top. It’s doubtful that Biden’s appearance helped or hurt Owens. He didn’t even pack the house. It was a highly unusual race under highly unusual circumstances. But that’s not stopping the White House from gloating, and trying to turn attention away from the Democrats’ losses in New Jersey and Virginia.
Since Axelrod’s been all over the place today, I’m going to assume he’s Tapper’s source here. In which case, how interesting that he chose to offer this particular bon mot anonymously.
To paraphrase Limbaugh, she’s living rent-free in their heads.
When Vice President Joe Biden went to upstate New York to campaign for Democrat Bill Owens on Monday, he took a risk.
Instead of campaigning in a low-key way, emphasizing local issues and Owens’ strengths, Biden picked up the gauntlet thrown down by national Republican figures such as Sarah Palin and Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and conservative pundits such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, and agreed that the special House race was of national relevance…
“We’re 2-0 against Palin,” a senior administration official says. “The Vice President went in and took on Governor Palin and the other national Republicans who had gotten involved in the race and the White House is sure happy that Owens pulled out that win.”
I’ll bet they’re happy Owens won. It’s the only way they could save face today. But the “senior administration official” might want to think again about being 2 and 0 against Palin. She endorsed Doug Hoffman via her Facebook page. But Hoffman wasn’t the only conservative or Republican Sarah went to bat for. She also endorsed Chris Christie in New Jersey and Bob McDonnell in Virginia. So it’s safe to say that in 2009 the White House is only 1 for 3 against Sarah Palin.
On a related note, democrats and the White House are downplaying the losses in Virginia in New Jersey. They say those were local elections that have nothing to do with what’s happening on the national level. If that’s the case, what are we to make of ol’ Rahmbo’s explantion of the 2005 Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections? Hmmm. People were aching for change then, but today they’re voting for change because they’re happy with the status quo?
[L]ooking back at First Read’s coverage the day after the 2005 New Jersey and Virginia contests, we had forgotten that Rahm Emanuel — then chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and now White House chief of staff — had called us to argue the very point Republicans are now making: that the two gubernatorial contests say something about the upcoming midterms.
Here’s what we wrote then:
Democratic House campaign committee chair Rahm Emanuel, calling First Read immediately after Kaine’s and Corzine’s victories were announced, argued that it’s clear Democratic voters were already energized earlier in the year when Democrat Paul Hackett nearly won a traditionally GOP-leaning Ohio House district. “I think that’s even more true today.” He also pointed out that the mayors of Detroit, Cleveland, and St. Paul, MN were all losing. “A lot of incumbents are losing to change,” he said (although he neglected to mention that these three mayors are Democrats, though the one from St. Paul endorsed Bush last year).
It doesn’t sound like Sarah Palin sees today as a loss. After congratulating Governors-elect Christie and McDonnell, she had this to say about the Hoffman campaign:
The race for New York’s 23rd District is not over, just postponed until 2010. The issues of this election have always centered on the economy – on the need for fiscal restraint, smaller government, and policies that encourage jobs. In 2010, these issues will be even more crucial to the electorate. I commend Doug Hoffman and all the other under-dog candidates who have the courage to put themselves out there and run against the odds.
To the tireless grassroots patriots who worked so hard in that race and to future citizen-candidates like Doug, please remember Reagan’s words of encouragement after his defeat in 1976:
“The cause goes on. Don’t get cynical because look at yourselves and what you were willing to do, and recognize that there are millions and millions of Americans out there that want what you want, that want it to be that way, that want it to be a shining city on a hill.”
The cause goes on.
That hardly sounds like a woman defeated.
Popularity: 2% [?]
