FLOTUS To Mass. Dems: You ‘Cannot Elect Barack Obama By A Landslide’ And Lose Senate Seat

[DonViejo]

PERRY STEIN 3:07 PM EDT, WEDNESDAY MAY 29, 2013

A day after her husband formally endorsed Rep. Ed Markey (D) for the Massachusetts Senate seat, First Lady Michelle Obama traveled to Boston to urge voters to support the congressman in the state's special election to replace Secretary of State John Kerry.

“Listen to this Massachusetts: you simply cannot elect Barack Obama by a landslide and lose this Senate seat!” she said. “Remember all of those times when I’ve asked you to have my husband’s back. This is one of those back-having times, right now."

Markey is running against Republican Gabriel Gomez, a former Navy SEAL who spent years in private equity. A recent poll from Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling showed Markey leading Gomez by seven points, 48 percent to 41 percent.

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http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/flotus-to-massachussetts-voters-you-can-not-lose

[riqster]

1. We lose that seat, and

We would be so fu**ed.

[Tarheel_Dem]

2. Why is Markey only in single digits? Warren had this issue as well, in a pretty blue state. nt

[karynnj]

3. A more recent poll has Markey up 12

- not to mention you have to say a campaign (Gomez's) is imploding when the candidate calls his opponent "pond scum" - all because he (Markey) had an INTERNET ad that showed a video that Gomez was a spokesperson of rolling next to an image of Gomez. His take - "he showed me split screen with OBL. This ignores that the ad Gomez was associated with showed both Obama and OBL - and he isn't complaining of being seen split screen with Obama. There is a better case that Gomez was smearing the President - a pretty relevant point to make given the landslide win Obama had in MA. His reason that this is unfair - he was a Navy Seal 17 years earlier. ( Because you know that Republicans never attack genuine war heroes even for things unrelated to their service.)

[Tarheel_Dem]

4. Good news. It troubles me that a state the POTUS won by double digits, seems to be tougher for..

progressive Senate candidates. Glad to hear it! We can't lose this one, because we have no idea what the midterms have in store.

[karynnj]

22. Don't forget that it was not just that they liked Obama, they strongly disliked Romney

They knew him and many were not happy that he spent the last two years as Governor visiting red states and dissing Massachusetts.

Remember that Warren only won by 8% at the same time and Brown ran a terrible campaign. (The good news is that Fehrstrorm who worked for Brown and Romney is working for Gomez.)

[Tarheel_Dem]

27. "Warren only won by 8%". Exactly.

I've often wondered if the Prez hadn't been on the ballot, if she could've possibly lost this seat? His double digit coattails had to have had an effect in pulling her along. Warren wasn't Martha Coakley, but I was concerned about her charisma quotient. She did great at the convention, and I'm glad she won, but sometimes simply truthtelling doesn't win the race.

[karynnj]

32. I don't think so

I think Senate is high enough on the ticket that it really is based on the person - and the party in cases where both are considered ok. ( There consider that in 1996, the Republican MA Governor was very popular, but lost when he challenged John Kerry - one reason - Kerry stressed that Weld would vote for his party to be the majority party - thus he would vote to make Jesse Helms the chair of Senate Foreign Relations)

I think Warren will be very strong by the time she runs for re-election. Then she will be running on a 6 year record in a state that is well aligned with her values. I think she ran a good race and Brown ran a pathetic race. The thing I most admire is that she continued to be herself as Brown hit her with one idiotic attack after another. This had to take discipline but it resulted in making her look like the responsible, principled adult versus an increasingly less likable and less respectable Scott Brown. In this case, I really don't see what would have been better than quiet truth telling.

Not to mention - only by 8% - is not that close.

[Tarheel_Dem]

35. Agreed. Her re-election will most likely be a cakewalk. I'm used to both seats being filled by Dems

[Fearless]

5. So basically the message is "What have you done for me lately??"

That's just a very strange quote. We don't elect democrats to help the president's agenda. We elect democrats to support our citizens. Using the "if you don't get out and vote bad things will happen" meme doesn't get people to vote. Candidates need to inspire people to vote. Markey needs to give our voters something to talk about and something to want to go to the polls to vote for him for. Fear is discouraging not enabling. We need to focus on our message and worry less about the other side.

[riqster]

6. And we need to support our candidates. nt

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

9. Not necessarily. Oftentimes it's a two-way street. If the president does well, we expect him

to have strong coattails. If he's not doing too well, we expect the lower ticket candidates to run away from him.

And I would argue that it is absolutely crucial that we put Democrats in the Senate who will help the president. He obviously needs a strong *progressive* majority to get legislation through to his desk.

So I would disagree with you: We DO elect Democrats to help the president's agenda, especially if that agenda aligns with their own.

[Fearless]

10. I contend we elect Democrats to help the American people.

Either president or a senator, imho, not to help politicians. Politicians serve people. We should cut straight to the chase. We don't elect people to help politicians, but to help the American people.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

11. "We elect Democrats to help the American people"...

Of course! Who would disagree with that? But in order for that to happen, the party has to have an agenda and elect viable people to help get that agenda through the halls of Congress. If that can't happen due to Republican obstruction and recalcitrance; or, because there aren't enough Democrats in the Senate to overcome a filibuster, then we can't help the American people.

[Fearless]

17. Compared to MA

The party agenda on a national level seems far less useful or quick unfortunately.

[Tarheel_Dem]

28. Well, it would be "strange" to you. But luckily you seem to be in the minority.

[Fearless]

30. Quantity of followers doesn't suggest

whether one is right or wrong.

[Tarheel_Dem]

31. In this thread it does.

[Fearless]

34. Yeahh... no. Yeesh.

[MADem]

7. That "Navy SEAL" has the weirdest USN record I've ever seen.

He gets out of the Naval Academy (where he was accepted because he was an asset to the TENNIS team), and goes into aviation. After we spend a fortune on him training him as an aviator, he does that for a bit, and then "decides" he wants to try for the SEALS. So he goes through that training....and then, right smack dab in the middle of the drawdown...right around the time he should have been promoted to 0-4, he's getting OUT of the Navy. Was he a Failure of Selection? Was he offered an "early out?" He spent most of his time in the Navy in some sort of training, and damn little time actually paying down his service obligation!

Near as I can tell, he didn't get anywhere near Desert Shield/Storm--he touts himself as "highly decorated" but he got highly decorated on exercises in Peru and St. Kitts--not any war zones. I also don't know what "decorations" he was awarded, either; if they were so hot, why isn't he talking them up?

And then he plays off the "immigrant" card, like his parents came across the Rio Grande and picked lettuce to put him through school, when in reality his father was a well-to-do HOPS importer from Columbia!

He's not a Massachusettsian, either--he's a carpetbagger, like Mittsy the Shittsy was...and he plays dirty. His attack ads are nothing but lies, offensive in the extreme.

There are so many questions about this guy--he comes off like a pig in a poke!

[sheshe2]

18. +1!

[Cha]

20. And, Gomez called Ed Markey "pond scum"! He's a mini mitt.

[MADem]

21. I think the Navy's decision to "let him go" was a good one!

And I'd really love to see his medals for heroism, defending St. Kitts, and all...!!!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

8. She is fucking right! Go FLOTUS!!!

[BlueDemKev]

12. Every Election, Every Time....GET OUT AND VOTE!

No matter where you live, no matter what the opinion polls show, get out and vote as if your life depended on it...because it does.

[Cha]

13. It's obvious to anyone who knows how government WORKS why President

Obama and First Lady Michelle would want Democratic Rep Ed Markey as the next Senator from Massachusetts.

Ed Markey ✔ @EdMarkey

"I am honored to have received the endorsement of President @BarackObama for the United States Senate." - EM #masen http://bit.ly/11n0UU4 6:14 AM - 28 May 2013
157 Retweets 34 favorites ReplyRetweet

http://theobamadiary.com/2013/05/29/rise-and-shine-513/

thanks DonViejo.. saw this on the Homepage!

[brooklynite]

14. Of course you can -- it's easy

The first thing you do is assume you can't lose because you elected Barack Obama in a Landslide.

Then pick a lousy candidate.

Then don't pay a lot of attention until the last minute.

Not saying that'll happen here, but complacency has brought down many a candidate.

[MissNostalgia]

15. I hope people correct the errors of election year 2010

I have to say I am still a bit mad people sat out over the most trivial stuff, and today like clock work so called left media is whining again. For example Bill Press keeps lying saying Holder wire tapped and should resign, this would effect moral for 2014.

[mountain grammy]

16. Well, Mass, Markey isn't Warren, but we need a Dem in that seat!

We're counting on you again. By the way, thank you for Senator Warren.

[karynnj]

33. No two candidates are the same, but I really do not think that Warren

was stronger than Markey at this point in 2012 (1 month before the election). They each have their advantages - the main one they share is that they are Democrats. Markey has the experience of being a politician - something often sited as a negative, but it means that he has already learned to handle the attacks and the need to respond to them even if you feel you shouldn't. Warren was an outsider with no real record to justify.

[sheshe2]

19. K&R! DonViego and thanks

As a newcomer to politics, Republican Gabriel Gomez is relying on the industry he is most connected to – finance – to bankroll his campaign for U.S. Senate.
Many of Gomez's early donors have been those with whom he has personal ties - from Harvard Business School or from his work in private equity and investment banking.

Enough said!

http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/mass_roundup/2013/05/gabriel-gomez-fundraising.html?page=all

[Cha]

23. This Thread needs a Pic..

Eddie Gehman Kohan @ObamaFoodorama

"@EdMarkey It is a tremendous honor for me to have the support of First Lady @MichelleObama in this race..." - EM pic.twitter.com/uo7iJbbLRu

[sheshe2]

25. Wow, I love that picture!

Flotus and Markey together. With Potus support, they make a great team here in Mass.

Markey, our next great Senator from The State of Massachusetts!

Less than 30 days to go, we can do this!

Thanks for the great picture, should have known Chips would be covering it, Cha!

[Cha]

29. Isn't it great to see a pic of Michelle and Markey together, she!

I found it on TOD which I should have noted .. but it was Eddie Gehman Kohan of ObamaFoodOrama who actually Tweeted it.

Maybe there will be more Michelle and Markey tomorrow? Who knows with the ChipsMeister!

http://theobamadiary.com/2013/05/29/you-came-from-some-place-else/#comments

[SidDithers]

24. She's right...

Go Michelle.

Sid

[Dawson Leery]

26. True.

Unlike Brown, Gomez is not attempting to be nice. He as already slandered Markey.