No political commentator has better analyzed the May primary than Johna Goldberg in the following editorial.
Voters Stop Buying the Obama Spin
Falling Down (1993) was one of the worst political films of the last 20 years, but it had one memorable line. A stunned Michael Douglas asks, “I’m the bad guy? . . . How did that happen?”
Barack Obama should be asking himself something similar these days. He came into office promising rainbows and puppies for everyone and has, like Pizza Hut during a blizzard, failed to deliver.
Now, before some intern at a left-wing media watchdog outfit spits Diet Snapple out his nose in outrage over my “fabrications” and “distortions,” and fires off some canned protest e-mail, I do not literally mean to suggest that Obama promised voters rainbows and puppies. Rather, I mean it figuratively. He did literally promise to change the way Washington works, unify the country, govern from the center, work with Republicans, and operate the government in a fiscally responsible way. That hasn’t happened. You could look it up.
I was on Fox News recently and was asked to debate the proposition that Obama’s candidate endorsements are the “kiss of death.” My response: No, they aren’t the kiss of death, but they certainly aren’t the kiss of life either. They’re more like a kiss from your sister. They add little to no excitement while inviting many unwanted questions.
Some of those questions might include: Do you agree with the president’s health-care plan? His stimulus package? His spending record? Cap-and-trade? The bailouts? Terror trials in New York? Etc.
Over the past year, President Obama hasn’t been much help to anyone trying to get elected. He endorsed and campaigned for Massachusetts attorney general Martha Coakley, and she lost in her bid to keep “Ted Kennedy’s seat” in the hands of Democrats. In political terms, it was a bit like holding a papal election and having the pontiff’s seat (or cathedra, for you sticklers) go to the head counselor of the Unitarian Church (or whatever they call their Pope-equivalent).
Obama endorsed then-New Jersey governor Jon Corzine, only to see him beaten by Republican Chris Christie. He endorsed Creigh Deeds in Virginia, only to see Republican Bob McDonnell win that governorship handily. He hugged Florida governor Charlie Crist so hard he squeezed him right out of the Republican party.
The elections this week continued the trend. Obama endorsed Arkansas senator Blanche Lincoln in the Democratic primary, but it wasn’t enough for her to avoid a runoff. He endorsed snarlin’ Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary for the Pennsylvania Senate race, only to see Specter’s opponent, Rep. Joe Sestak, use that endorsement against Specter as proof of Specter’s inside-the-Beltway phoniness.
The much-ballyhooed silver lining for Obama came from the Pennsylvania special election to replace the recently deceased Rep. Jack Murtha. Democrats not only outnumber Republicans two-to-one in the 12th district, but Murtha remains a hero for getting the entire district strung-out on high-grade pork (not the oink-oink kind).
Read More of the editorial from Real Clear Politics © 2010 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
