As it developed Sunday, there will be no presidential shout-out for [Democratic candidate Frank] Caprio — at least not one with an explicit endorsement. After days of speculation about the possibility that Mr. Obama might give the Chafee candidacy a boost by denying his blessing to fellow-Democrat Caprio, White House Deputy Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a conference call with reporters Sunday, “He will not be making an endorsement in the race tomorrow.”Psaki was asked specifically whether Mr. Obama was staying neutral because of Chafee’s assistance for Mr. Obama in 2008. She did not give a direct reply. She said, “He isn’t planning on making an endorsement in the race tomorrow. He’s obviously been campaigning across the country for a number of candidates. He is going to Rhode Island tomorrow because he has been campaigning for and raising money for a variety of campaigns, and this is one of the places the DNC (Democratic National Committee) felt it was important for him to visit.”
Was there no feeling that the race is razor-thin and his endorsement could make a difference for Democrat Caprio? Psaki was asked. “He’s not planning on making an endorsement in the race tomorrow,” she replied.
Ouch.
Nathan Daschle, the executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, tells POLITICO that President Obama's decision not to endorse Frank Caprio in Rhode Island "sends a bad message."[…]
"This is disappointing,” Daschle said. “Frank Caprio has spent his career fighting for the values of the Democratic Party, and I think he deserves the full support of our party and its leaders. While this might not be what the White House intended, the president’s refusal to endorse a fellow Democrat in the worst environment since 1994 sends a bad message to everyone who’s working to get Democrats elected this year."
Yes, yes it does. But I can’t feel sorry for the Democrats. They’re their own downfall. They didn’t need Obama to help them, but it does seem like he’s been putting the last nails in the coffin. He’ll be decades, maybe centuries (should the world last so long) worth of material for historians. And Bill Clinton may well go down in the books as the last Democratic president.
I guess "go down" isn't the best phrase to use when talking about Bill Clinton. Or maybe it is.
Anyway, "disappointing" is a rather mild term considering he could have simply not gone to Rhode Island and the non-endorsement might have been overlookable. But to go there and not endorse the man...
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
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