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White House Backs Lincoln In Arkansas Primary
Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
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President Obama is sticking with Sen. Blanche Lincoln in the May 18 Democratic primary in Arkansas.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs confirmed today that Obama will keep with his trend of supporting the sitting senator in party primaries, as he's done with Sen. Arlen Specter over Rep. Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania and in supporting Sen. Michael Bennet in Colorado.
"We support Senator Lincoln as an incumbent senator," Gibbs told reporters today during his daily briefing.
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Schmed
March 1, 2010 2:45 PM
"We support Senator Lincoln as an incumbent senator," Gibbs told reporters
"....because she's been so instrumental in helping us accomplish our legislative agenda. Just think of where the health insurace reform effort would be without her coopera....uh....never mind."
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VictorLH
March 1, 2010 2:47 PM
Some more of that "Hope" and "Change We Can Believe In" from Obama.
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FreeRider
March 1, 2010 2:52 PM
Obama supporting Lincoln in Arkansas is not helpful to Lincoln. HA!
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Progressive Party
March 1, 2010 2:52 PM
Obama is proving to be a real challenge here with his support of Blanche...Spector first and now Blanche...WTF! I guess Nelson, LIEberman and a host others can expect his support as well. Progressives put your money directly into campaigns that will vote with conviction and the people's interests first and only. Otherwise, we will see the loss of many more seats in congress.
How about letting the voters decide but at least be guided by the polls that are showing the voters want a change that they can believe in and certainly not the conservaDEM wing of the democratic party.
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mcc
March 1, 2010 2:54 PM in reply to Progressive Party
In other words Obama, who has to work with the incumbents whether they win or lose because as long as they hold office he needs them to pass his agenda, is supporting incumbents in every single case.
Will surprises never cease?
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Barry Champlain
March 1, 2010 3:15 PM in reply to mcc
Well, you know what? Until they do cease, Obama will have to keep kissing the asses of every grandstanding Blue Dog... and for what? So someone like Nelson can poison legislation with highly-identifiable pork? So someone like Stupak (House, but you get the idea) can use the President's progressive agenda to de facto outlaw a woman's right to choose?
Yep, those Blue Dog votes are SO critical. It's almost as if you'd need a 51-49 majority to make it work without them. Oh wait a minute.
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mcc
March 1, 2010 3:26 PM in reply to Barry Champlain
Except Lincoln and Nelson ultimately did vote for health care reform, and Stupak ultimately did vote for the health care bill. (Stupak won't vote for it next time, of course, but the blue dog votes then put the bill over the line at a crucial time-- and kept the public option alive just a little longer, because the alternative at that point to buying the blue dogs off by killing abortion rights was buying the blue dogs off by killing the public option.)
I think we'd be better off with Lincoln out of office, but the people who are actually in office have actual jobs to do and while she's holding that office they have to work with her.
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Schmed
March 1, 2010 3:26 PM in reply to Progressive Party
Speaking of Lieberman....
The Loneliest Senator: Can the Democrats Forgive Joe Lieberman?
You just know ol' Sen Droopy Drawers has dropped trou' anticipating a big wet smooch from the Dems.
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Indie Pro
March 1, 2010 2:57 PM
With the way she's supported his HIR, he has to do it.
Or maybe he simply agrees with her corporatist, republican-lite, establishment ways.
Eitherway, I'm not surprised.
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Politor
March 1, 2010 4:24 PM in reply to Indie Pro
It's quite unfortunate that you seem to besmirch much of your legitimate observations by taking (unnecessary) shots at Obama and his administration.
I believe you are correct when you say this:
"With the way she's supported his HIR, he has to do it."
Add to that the 85% of times she votes with the party. (This is not an endorsement of her, just stating the facts).
The rest of your post seems intent on eliciting some sort of visceral reaction.
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chimpale
March 1, 2010 3:10 PM
Why? Because she has a "D" after her name? This is ridiculous. If she wanted an endorsement from the president, she shouldn't have been trying so hard to fuck up the health care reform bill. Send a message: If you're going to act like a Republican, then you'd better run as one.
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Viva!America!
March 1, 2010 3:25 PM
Not a single soul reading this should be surprised so stop with the faux outrage. Until the primary is over, the WH will support the incumbent. If the challenger wins, the WH will support him/her. Common-damn-sense.
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Politor
March 1, 2010 3:58 PM in reply to Viva!America!
Seriously. I'd like to see Obama endorse Sestak (for Specter's job) and turn around and ask Specter to support his initiatives. This shouldn't be surprising to anyone.
And while I think there is a legitimate discussion to be had about what it means to be a democrat (i.e. is supporting health care reform a given), as well as who would make a better candidate for the democratic nomination, Lincoln is more valuable to the president right now because her (possible) votes are worth more legislatively than (proposed) support after a presumed victory in an election 8 months away.
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chimpale
March 1, 2010 4:25 PM in reply to Politor
The problem is that it's a one-way street. Lincoln can do whatever she wants. She can threaten to uphold a Republican filibuster if a bill has anything in it that might offend her corporate benefactors. There are no consequences and she knows it. And, since just about all of the major reforms that Obama campaigned on pose a threat to one powerful lobby or another, how is anything going to get done before the Dems--Obama included--get run out of office for NOT GETTING ANYTHING DONE?
We had a Civil Rights bill passed, because LBJ played hardball with the Democrats who were standing in the way of it. Since there isn't a filibuster-proof majority anymore (there never really was), it might be worth the risk to just let Blanche twist in the wind. And maybe it would shake up some of the other Conservadems. They might not be so quick to hold important bills hostage anymore.
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cawleybo
March 2, 2010 6:46 AM in reply to Viva!America!
By that reasoning, we coan't be outraged at republicans just because we expect egregious behavior from them.
Nice logic, Obamabot.
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Mike J
March 1, 2010 3:51 PM
Typical sell-out!
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Kevin Sutton
March 1, 2010 4:18 PM
I think the White House could benefit from not endorsing incumbents until they get some assistance on their policies. Spector moved over to the left after Stesak entered the race, not because the White House endorsed him when he switched.
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Progressive Party
March 1, 2010 4:55 PM in reply to Kevin Sutton
word
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tytester
March 1, 2010 5:24 PM
Whaaaat...? The WH has a standing policy to support incumbents in a general election that is widely understood to be anti-incumbent? Talk about betting on the wrong horse...
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Xantar
March 1, 2010 5:45 PM
Look at actions, not words, people. If Obama goes out and speaks at rallies on behalf of Blanche Lincoln during the primary, then he's really supporting her. Until then, he's just giving lip service, and I doubt it's going to matter much in the primary.
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Jim H
March 1, 2010 6:17 PM in reply to Xantar
And this is Arkansas, btw.
Obama enthusiastically endorsing and campaigning for Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas would be about as helpful as it would have been for W. to do the same for Lincoln Chafee in Rhode Island 4 years ago.
She's better off getting help from Bill Clinton.
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psyclone
March 2, 2010 1:41 AM
Blanche Lincoln is a Democrat? Interesting. How exactly was I supposed to know?
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rbe1
March 2, 2010 5:12 AM
Once again, the white house backs the loser. One is a democrat only to the extent that one votes as a democrat. She ain't.
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cawleybo
March 2, 2010 6:42 AM
I guess its totally wishful thinking to hope they at least got some iron clad assurances before they backed her.
Right, who am I kidding?
Actually, based on his record negotiating (read: capitulating) with republicans, they probably made concessions to her before giving their endorsement.
Besides, that endorsement of Lieberman worked out so well ...
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