PA Senator Bob Casey to endorse Obama

[JustinL]

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey plans to endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president today in Pittsburgh, sending a message both to the state's primary voters and to undecided superdelegates who might decide the close race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Dan Pfeiffer, deputy communications director for the Obama campaign, confirmed that Casey would announce his support during a rally at the Soldiers and Sailors Military Museum and Memorial and that he would then set out with the Illinois senator on part of a six-day bus trip across the state.

...

Casey sees Obama as an "underdog" in the campaign who sacrificed at the beginning of his career to be a community organizer "in the shadows of the closed steel mills in Chicago," said a source close to Casey who is familiar with the endorsement decision but was not authorized to speak publicly about it.

The source, reached by The Inquirer yesterday, said that Casey was also impressed with how Obama had stood up to the pressures of the campaign, including recent attacks over the racially incendiary remarks of his former pastor.

link

[ej510]

1. Hell Yeah!!!!

Keep the super delegates coming!!

[SunsetDreams]

2. awesome, thank you for posting :)

[donheld]

3. Wonderful

:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

[Window]

4. K/R.

:bounce: :bounce:




:kick:

[JVS]

5. Great news! Fuck you, Ed Rendell! You can't cut off money to his district you asshole

[WinkyDink]

49. You don't live in PA;, do you? Ed Rendell is much more loved than Casey can dream of.

[Zueda]

55. I call BS...

Casey has a much lower disapproval rating than Rendell as shown here in the latest quinnipiac...

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1327.xml?ReleaseID=1149

[WinkyDink]

59. Let me know when Casey is Governor, to compare "job approval" ratings. Not quite the same jobs now.

People just MIGHT have different expectations.

[Zueda]

63. Or biased opinions...

[WinkyDink]

66. Weak, weak.

[Zueda]

67. yup.

[Renew Deal]

73. Just admit you're wrong

and get over it.

[MH1]

87. I live in PA, and lots of Dems I know dislike Rendell.

They think he is a sleazy corrupt politician.

However, there is a saying: "he may be a crook, but he's OUR crook." (See also, Joe Manchin, governor of WV.)

[powergirl]

58. But wouldn't Sen. Clinton love to have his endorsement

Remember they stated they didn't need Richardson's endorsement, after he endorsed Obama - notwithstanding the fact that he was pursued by the Clinton campaign for said endorsement that they didn't want?

[WinkyDink]

60. I wouldn't know; are you privy to this info?

[powergirl]

68. Here you go - I'm not privy to personal negotiations - but the press is

February 23, 2008

"Clinton gave $5,000 to Gov. Bill Richardson. Poor Richardson didn't have the same luck with Obama who gave him zip. Word in the blogosphere was that Richardson was angling for the VP spot with Clinton.

"Other notable superdelegates who cleaned up?

"Sen. Daniel Akaka (HI), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN), Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH), Sen. Bob Casey (PA), and Sen. Robert Byrd (WV) each received $10,000 a piece from both candidates, though none have endorsed either yet."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-escobar/obama-clinton-fill-super_b_88114.html

So, there you go. Sen. Clinton pursued Richardson AND Casey, among others. So she did want his endorsement. Maybe the Clinton campaign will trash him like they trashed Richardson.

[Renew Deal]

72. That's not true

But you already knew that.

[writes3000]

6. YES, YES, YES!!!!! Doin The Superdelegate Dance!!!!! n/t

[maximusveritas]

7. Interesting. I doubt it'll help him much in PA

but it is another superdelegate.

[John Q. Citizen]

89. Well, it can't hurt him, and as you say, another superD.

[MagickMuffin]

8. WooHoo, & YeeHaw

:kick: & RRRRRRR

[bluestateguy]

9. I don't think the Caseys ever liked the Clintons

Maybe that whole thing about Gov. Casey not being able to speak at the 1992 convention is still a sore spot.

[leftofcool]

21. Yes, lots of grudges out there.

I dont begruge Omaba the support at all, but every person who didn't get their way or what they wanted with the Clintons is now an Obama supporter. This includes some media people.

[Butch350]

52. Well...

Hello! This is POLITICS not Bible Class.

[QC]

31. Nice to see someone with some knowledge of political history here!

Seems like many of us at DU wake up in a new world every morning.

There is indeed bad blood between the Clinton's and the Caseys, and it goes back to the 1992 and has to do with the Casey family's anti-choice position and the resulting fallout at the convention.

[WinkyDink]

64. Exactly. And the teeny-tiny detail most accounts omit is this: Casey Sr was denied a speech because

HE REFUSED to ENDORSE the candidate, Bill Clinton!!

It's called "chutzpah", and the Convention wouldn't let Casey get away with it.

[QC]

77. Amen, I am so tired of hearing that Casey was denied a speech

because he was "pro-life."

It was because he refused to endorse the Democratic ticket.

[Eurobabe]

10. GOOD, maybe my email to Casey helped, he is my Senator.

Time to write a few more. Thank yous, that is!

Edit, here is my email to Sen. Casey:

Dear Sen. Casey,

I couldn't find an appropriate category to file this under so I chose INTELLIGENCE, because you have plenty of it for endorsing BARACK OBAMA!!

Thank you Senator Casey for coming out in support of our next President.

Your constituent from Chester County,

48percenter

[DerekJ]

11. K & R

:kick:

[David Zephyr]

12. It truly has started now. Bill Richardson, Nancy Pelosi and now Bob Casey.

Big endorsement. K&R.

[SunsetDreams]

15. Nancy Pelosi?

[David Zephyr]

18. I should clarify myself. Pelosi's comments regarding super delegates.

Clearly Pelosi's comments were in response to Hillary's statement that the SD's could overturn the results of the primaries. It was yet another signal that the dam is about to break.

Apparently, there will be more and more SD's now coming out for Obama.

[SunsetDreams]

34. Thanks

I thought what did I miss?

[sasquatch]

13. This should be interesting

[Drunken Irishman]

14. This was the one PA endorsement I had been hoping for!

Another Mick for Obama! :)

[Diane R]

16. Read the last paragraph of the article....he was influenced by his children!!

"Casey's decision was also personal, motivated in part by the enthusiasm his four daughters - Elyse, Caroline, Julia and Marena - have expressed for Obama, the source said. "He thinks we shouldn't be deaf to the voices of the next generation."

Caroline Kennedy's children, Sen. Claire McCaskill's children, Maria Shriver's children.....the younger generation is really leading the way!!

[writes3000]

20. And the youth will carry the day in the end. n/t

[TTUBatfan2008]

17. I saw him on one of the cable shows a few weeks ago...

and I remember thinking, "Why is this guy still neutral?" because the tone of his voice made it clear that he was leaning towards Obama. But I suppose now his endorsement will have more of an effect since it's a news story shortly before the PA primary.

I also keep thinking that Dean favors Obama, strictly because Obama has run the same Internet fundraising campaign that Dean did, but he's doing it even BETTER. He took it to another level. Dean's campaign was the innovator and now Obama's is the one that really makes it take off. Pelosi obviously favors Obama, or at least the position that Obama currently holds (most delegates, most popular votes). I'm sure Edwards favors Obama as well. Not sure what to think of Gore. He seems to be trying his best to stay the hell out of it. Smart man.

[Hope And Change]

19. K&R!

[99th_Monkey]

22. R&C - Thank you Sen. Casey!! How timely of you to endorse now. Thank you again. ~nt~

[99th_Monkey]

23. Kick

ooops. forgot to do it with former post. my bad.

:kick:

[Arugula Latte]

24. Rendell is gonna blow a gasket!

:woohoo:

[Noirceuil]

25. LOL! Won't make a bit of difference....

Anyone familiar with Pennsylvania politics knows that Rendell will carry the day in the end. Don't get your hopes up Obamites. Hillary is poised to win this baby by double-digits.

[Arugula Latte]

26. So what? It won't be enough for her.

She's probably going to lose Texas officially this weekend, BTW.

She's just dragging this thing out for her amazingly overblown ego and sense of entitlement.

[cali]

28. Won't hurt- at all

and she won't win by enough.

[my3boyz]

30. Yeah, keep celebrating! Just as you all did after she

won Ohio and Texas (which she is probably about to lose now)! It won't mean a damn thing because after Obama wins North Carolina and Oregon she will be further behind than she is today..........

[BumRushDaShow]

43. Casey = CATHOLIC Vote

Very much a demographic that political analysts have been heavily discussing as a critical block in PA.

Rendell was hated by the western and central part of the state and only got in because of the massive turnout from Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs in the eastern part of the state. That turnout is for Obama now. Rendell is finished.

[WinkyDink]

51. Yes, and what really does that mean, huh? ANTI-CHOICE, is what.

THAT is the reality of Bob Casey's voters.

[BumRushDaShow]

76. Guess what? PA survived Casey's father and his stance for 8 years.

Abortions are still legal. :eyes:

And if Bob Casey's "voters" are Democrats, why would you insult them and then send them off to the repukes? Is this the Clinton strategy now? To run off current or potential Democrats because they don't agree with one plank of the Democratic Party platform? Certainly the repukes brought together all sorts of groups under their wing, many of whom were at odds with each other (e.g, isolationalists vs neocons or corporatists vs anti-immigrationists).

Casey is more than just anti-abortion (which by the way is a view of not just Catholics like him but a number of other Christian denominations). As a native of blue-collar Scranton, PA, his family represents a demographic that is key to appeal to in this state. Casey's father was a coal miner before he went off into politics and eventually became Governor.

[NDambi]

45. She may win the PA battle but she will lose overall..she can't catch him..

[4themind]

27. YES!!!

GOBOBAMA

[my3boyz]

29. Awesome! That takes guts from him to do that despite

PA being a challenge for Obama.

[slinkerwink]

32. Casey will be VERY helpful in Pennsylvania!

[jefferson_dem]

33. Bingo. Instant credibility.

:thumbsup:

[depakid]

48. LOL. Among whom? Progressives? Those who believe in a woman's right to choose?

[MH1]

88. Casey has a 62% approval rating.

according to the MSNBC.com article I just read.

[dempartisan23]

35. more great news!!

GOBAMA

[H2O Man]

36. Very good.

His parents and my aunt & uncle were neighbors. He has been one of my cousins' friends since childhood. Some of my cousins have been "undecided," because they recognize that both Clinton and Obama offer the country strong leadership. I am hoping that this endorsement will influence their thinking when they go into the voting booth next month.

[blue neen]

47. When Bob Casey was running for the Senate here in PA,

I wrote him a long, heartfelt letter about issues that were affecting me personally.

Casey called me at home on a Sunday night to talk about my letter. We had a wonderful, hour long conversation.

It was very impressive that he cared that much about one voter and her particular questions.

I ended up working for his campaign here in western PA and got to meet Senator Casey several times. He really is a wonderful man.

I am volunteering at the Obama rally here in Greensburg, PA this afternoon. Senator Casey will probably accompany Obama there after they leave Pittsburgh. So, I hope I'll get to see them both this afternoon!

[Name removed]

53. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[powergirl]

62. That is a remarkable person

I'm glad to hear about Casey making a personal call to you. That shows me that he really cares what his people think. I see that in Obama with his "bottom up" campaign. How lucky you are to live in Pennsylvania where you have a two party system. I live in the north Texas area and it is Red Country. I will say this, as much as it pains me, I"ll take Bush back in this state, just to get him out of the White House. Well done Pennsylvania!

[ellisonz]

37. That's gonna leave a mark.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

38. K&R

[Vinca]

39. A big WOO HOO!

:woohoo:

[BumRushDaShow]

40. Heard this early this morning and this was SHOCKING!

:woohoo:

I just *KNEW* that he would go Clinton being that he considered himself a "New Democrat", and I had written him off. I had qualms about voting for both he and his father (when his father ran for and won Governor twice) due to their stance on abortion, etc. But in his case, Santorium HAD TO GO!

But I am very heartened that he stepped up to the plate to signal that it is time for a change! Perhaps in a way, his father never did go along with "the machine" (given some of his views) and that rubbed off on him as well.

Time for Rep. Robert Brady (PA-1) to step up now.

[Tribetime]

41. is this going to be a Friday pattern?

[BeyondGeography]

42. Some much needed Pa. cred...Thank you, Senator Casey!

[Cooley Hurd]

44. Very good news!

Happy Friday Morn, everyone!:hi:

[mrgorth]

46. THIS IS GIGANTIC!!!

I personally called Casey's office a couple weeks back and asked him to do this. I was told he was staying neutral. I wonder how much the baseness of hrc's campaign influenced this decision.

[grantcart]

57. perhaps you can call the rest of the Super Delegates your good at it lol

[DrFunkenstein]

50. He's Dead to Me

Man, this list is getting longer and longer.

[easy_b94]

54. !!

[grantcart]

56. k and r

[WinkyDink]

61. DU'ers are THRILLED that this anti-choice/pro-gun guy is endorsing Obama?

Whatever.

[powergirl]

69. Clinton tried to get his endorsement - but now this is bad. Hmmm

February 23, 2008

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-escobar/obama-clinton-fill-super_b_88114.html

Clinton gave $5,000 to Gov. Bill Richardson. Poor Richardson didn't have the same luck with Obama who gave him zip. Word in the blogosphere was that Richardson was angling for the VP spot with Clinton.

Other notable superdelegates who cleaned up?

Sen. Daniel Akaka (HI), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN), Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH), Sen. Bob Casey (PA), and Sen. Robert Byrd (WV) each received $10,000 a piece from both candidates, though none have endorsed either yet.

TA DA!!!:shrug:

[Zueda]

70. Your interest in this thread is amusing.

[slinkerwink]

71. Casey pulls in a lot of working class Democrats which is why this is a good endorsement

[Renew Deal]

74. It's not as good as being endorsed by Coulter and Limbaugh

At least in the eyes of Clinton supporters.

[mrgorth]

78. Yep.

:beer:

[democrattotheend]

65. Woo-hoo!

This is really surprising...it's a big risk for Casey, endorsing someone who has almost no chance to win his state. He just shot up a few notches in my book!

[TwilightGardener]

75. Thanks, Bob!!

[Oilwellian]

79. Fabulous news!

:kick: & R

[loveangelc]

80. it starts.

[jefferson_dem]

81. LIVE ON CNN.COM NOW!

---> http://www.cnn.com/

[Vinca]

82. Crowd sounds huge! Where is this being held? nt

[jefferson_dem]

83. The place is ELECTRIC!

Unreal.

:bounce:

[Vinca]

84. Obama is absolutely adorable - "I might have to kiss that baby,

that's a cute one." I love this guy.

[PA Democrat]

86. Soldiers and Sailors Hall in Pittsburgh. It is on the

campus of the University of Pittsburgh and close to Carnegie Mellon University.

[sniffa]

85. Awesome

K&R

Again, when was the last time Clinton garnered a SD?