Obama congratulates Sestak

[ProSense]

Source: CNN

(CNN) – Rep. Joe Sestak said that President Obama called to congratulate him Tuesday night following his victory over Sen. Arlen Specter, the Republican-turned-Democrat who was backed by the president in this primary.

Obama "couldn't have been nicer," Sestak said in an interview Wednesday on CNN's American Morning.

Sestak also said that president told him, "I'm there for you and I look forward to working with you and getting you in the United States Senate."

When Specter switched political parties last year, Obama and Vice President Biden publicly pledged their support for him in the primary. While the president appeared in radio and television ads for the veteran senator, Obama did not appear on the campaign trail with Specter in the closing days of race.


Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/19/obama-congratulates-sestak/?fbid=DfBNIs0zv-w

[Botany]

1. I loves me some Obama.

"I'm there for you and I look forward to working with you and getting you in the United States Senate."

[goclark]

3. Smart politics IMO

[zipplewrath]

4. Playing catch up

Playing catch up is more like it. They backed the wrong horse, for all the wrong reasons, in a race they shouldn't even been in. They jacked up everyones costs, and now they have to switch directions and try to repair the damage. At this point he ought to do the stand up thing and do a fundraiser for Sestak, maybe outside of PA to avoid "double dipping".

[SkyDaddy7]

8. Playing catch up, not at all...

Having that extra vote on HCR was worth it...So, Obama is not playing catch up just smart politics keeping his & many other Democrats word for Specter's flip. However, I am sure Obama is happy with the outcome & now we just have to hope Sestak can win.

[zipplewrath]

9. I'm curious how they go back in time

I'm curious how running around in PA in May, gets them a vote in February. They went way beyond what they had to do to encourage Specter to vote with them. He would have had to change to the democrats way before March, and he'd had to vote for HCR by then.

Face it, they like him, they wanted him, they backed the wrong horse, they pulled out the big guns to do it, and they are now having to change course by 180. I just hope they help raise the money they wasted.

[dbmk]

23. It might get them another vote another time

..which could be hard if they had gone back on their word.

Given the state of the Republican party it might not have been bad for them to have a Specter win as a sales argument to others like him down the line - but I doubt that they are heartbroken over losing a Republican turned Dem.

[zipplewrath]

25. You guys are really clueless aren't you

You have any idea why Rahm DOESN'T like primaries?

[D23MIURG23]

26. Are we?

You seem to think that Obama should have knifed Specter in the back, in public, after making a well known deal with him. Once again, Obama traded primary support for Specter's partisan affiliation, and Specter followed through. Have you actually thought about what might have happened to Obama's bargaining power if he had given Specter the middle finger after that?

You can call us whatever you want, but I'll be impressed if you can explain to me what Obama would have had to gain from supporting Sestak in the primary.

[zipplewrath]

28. False dichotomy

That's becoming the favorite defense of Obama.

You present a false dichotomy. He had to "promise" very little to Specter. He certainly didn't have to go "all in" as he did. He had a wide range of options available to him, much wider than the ones you describe.

The whole point is that he CHOSE to go all in. Not because he "had to". Because he "wanted to". He supported Specter, to the extent that he did, because he WANTED Specter.

He didn't have to "support" Sestak in the primary. All he had to do, is what he has done in so many elections an primaries, was basically "stay out of it", overtly anyway. He could have done almost anything he wanted to in private, they always do. But CHOOSING to take sides in a primary that was going to be contentious for a variety of reasons was foolish at best, and arrogant at worst.

He backed the wrong horse, and he did it with his eyes wide open.

[Hawkeye-X]

30. Rahm can go fuck himself.

He's going to be kicked out soon.

Hawkeye-X

[Cha]

15. "Playing catch up"..

:rofl:

[SkyDaddy7]

20. Exactly!

:rofl: :toast:

[notheyrejustwrong]

13. In the word of President Obama...

NO!

[zipplewrath]

14. So he should just leave 'em hanging?

Or should he give him the kind of "full throated" support he gave Specter? (Which is a heck of a lot by the by).

[Unvanguard]

17. They backed the wrong horse for fairly decent reasons, but rather too long.

They got out of it at the last minute, but should have as soon as the primary election looked competitive. Regardless, though, it's not that grievous a wrong.

[dbmk]

21. Didn't they just back the horse they had promised to back?

Noone knows if they really preferred Specter.

[healthnut7]

24. Specter

I agree, we don't know that maybe President Obama had said he would
back him but was really happy that he didn't get in.

[Nothing Without Hope]

27. Yeah, sounds about right. The good news is that the Dem machine miscalculated

the gullibility of the voters in PA and the right man won despite them. And never doubt that Obama is part of that Machine despite all his charisma.

[Hawkeye-X]

29. By that logic, Obama should dump his endorsement for Bennet and endorse Romanoff instead.

He's already endorsed by almost all of the bigwigs in Colorado.

[NI4NI]

6. I agree with you

Too my knowledge, other than the "I love Arlen Specter" ad that Specter used, (and surely should have) I heard little else from the White House.
Political pundits, and pricks are desperatley trying to attach every failure of every issue to Obama.
Obama played it correctly, IMO, because in the Specter/Sestak primary BOTH candidates were Democrats currently holding congressional offices. Plus, it's not as if Specter was a life long dyed in the wool Dem, where as (IMO again) Sestak is up and coming.

[zipplewrath]

10. OFA

So you didn't get the OFA message campaigning for Arlen? You didn't get one of the Robo calls? You weren't at either of the rallies that either Obama or Biden attended? I think you might have missed something.

[NI4NI]

11. Seems I did miss something

and will search for transcripts and visuals of the rallies you mentioned Obama and Biden attended. Thanks!

On edit: Other than Obama rallying support publically for Specter last year, I can only find Biden's April 23rd stump speech for Specter, Joe's long time friend.
I'd like to have heard the robo calls you mentioned, even though I still voted for Sestak yesterday.
Fact of the matter remains that Obama clearly distanced himself late in the race by not going to Philly.

[FrenchieCat]

12. and pricks ....

:rofl:

[RainMickey]

2. "I'm there for you ".........Run Joe Run!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[Soylent Brice]

5. Good form Mr. President.

:)

K&R

[florida08]

7. well I hope so

Hope some of that progressive rubs off on that centrist

[NJmaverick]

16. K & R!

[itsrobert]

18. Will Spector take a job in the Obama Admin or

will he be the paid talking head "Democrat" on MSNBC, FOX News, or CNN that bashes the Demorats?

[No Elephants]

19. Perhaps he can just gracefully retire in his beloved state with his beloved family.

[Zhade]

22. Well yeah, he's there for you now -- since you kicked the ass of the guy he backed against you.

Trying to buy him out of the race with a job reminded me way too much of a Republican deal.

DLC? FUCK YOU. We beat you this time.