White House endorses Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas primary

by: Chris Bowers

Mon Mar 01, 2010 at 15:41


Following in the tradition of endorsing John Barrow when he faced a primary challenge, supporting Joe Lieberman when he was threatened with losing his seniority, Arlen Specter when he faced a primary challenge, and Micheal Bennet when he faced a primary challenge, the White House just endorsed Blanche Lincoln now that she is facing a primary challenge from Arkansas Lt. Governor Bill Halter:

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.

It is difficult to figure out how a policy of "support all incumbent Democrats all the time" is either an example of bringing change to Washington, D.C., or gives the White House political leverage over potentially wayward Democratic members of Congress.  Rather, supporting all incumbents all the time is both supporting and empowering the status quo.

By way of contrast, MoveOn, Daily Kos, the PCCC and Accountability Now have all endorsed Bill Halter.  Consider this my endorsement post, too.

Chris Bowers :: White House endorses Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas primary

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White House endorses Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas primary | 36 comments
In all my years.... (4.00 / 2)
I have never heard of a WH that supported primary challengers of establishment congressmen or Senators.

This is nothing surprising.  Besides, Obama has low approval in Arkansas, so he won't be stumping there for her.

only one possible (4.00 / 1)
Did GWB support Baby Sununu over Bob Smith in 2002?
[ Parent ]
If he did, then it was because (0.00 / 0)
Sununu's dad was the Chief of Staff for Bush senior.
[ Parent ]
FDR did. (4.00 / 2)
Primaried a Senator and several Congressmen unsuccessfully, IIRC.  
[ Parent ]
I was talking about in modern times. (0.00 / 0)
I wasn't around back then.
[ Parent ]
At any rate, it isn't unprecedented. n/t (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
odd you were given another example that you also dismissed (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
FDR (4.00 / 9)
did a lot of things Obama has no intention of doing.

Montani semper liberi
[ Parent ]
Heh... (4.00 / 1)
His endorsement probably hurts her there!  

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!
[ Parent ]
LBJ (4.00 / 4)
LBJ recruited a challenger to Willis Robertson in 1966 in Virginia.  His candidate, Willis Spong, defeated the 20 year Senator (and father of Pat Robertson) in a primary and went on to be elected to the US Senate.  Robertson was an opponent of civil rights, and in Johnson's eyes was rude to Lady Bird Johnson.
[ Parent ]
That was in the day of the Boll Weevil Democrats. (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
Since you now have 3 examples of it being used (4.00 / 5)
where a president was trying to change things , does that not confirm the thesis that if Obama were trying to change things he would be doing the same?
[ Parent ]
Well, his "endorsement" means nothing in Arkansas. (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
That's not what I asked you. But nevermind. I sense I want get a straight answer. (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
Sure, it doesn't happen much (4.00 / 7)
But if you really want to change things, then do them differently.
[ Parent ]
Obama / Lincoln (4.00 / 8)
Well, it's pretty clear that Obama isn't a progressive.  He's a half-ass centrist, not much different from Bill Clinton.  I wish he had been honest enough to run a campaign that was representative of his true colors.
Progressive "branding" over a bunch of half-assed centrism (0.00 / 0)
Obama spouted half-assed centrist stuff all though 2007 and early 2008. He managed to successfully rebrand the same talk to make some Progressives think he was one of us. His stump speeches all "felt" progressive, but in debates with other Democrats he came off about the same as Biden, but not quite as liberal economically.

ec=-8.50 soc=-8.41   (3,967 Watts)
[ Parent ]
Well, I thought that Seantor Obama at least pushed back against (4.00 / 2)
anti-government rhetoric.  Once upon a time, before he started running in 2007, he actually spoke out powerfully for the ideas of active government and national community, making him an incredibly promising politician.  His abstaining from doing so during his presidential run cost him my support and I voted for John Edwards (to my never-ending self-pride).

Still, I preferred him over Senator Clinton, because I was worried that Clinton would be another mealy-mouthed centrist New Democrat whose administration would be filled with the likes of Robert Rubin, Larry Summers and Rahm Emanuel (funny how that worked out).

[ Parent ]
His campaign was virtually content-free (4.00 / 4)
at least in its larger points.  

I just wish we had a media that cornered politicians when they tried to pull this branding bullshit.

[ Parent ]
We knew -- or should have known -- that it would come to this (4.00 / 6)
If our announced goal is to take over the Democratic Party and move it left, then we have to expect that almost every elected Democrat's hand will be turned against us, including the President's.

This is war -- a long one, at that. Do we want to fight, or whine?

Lincoln undermines Obama's agenda and (4.00 / 4)
all Dems, so of course Obama endorses her.

Kick sand in his face and you get his endorsement, support him and you get nothing.  No wonder the agenda is slipping away.  

She undermines (4.00 / 6)
his stated agenda, not his real one. Sooner or later you have to believe your lyin' eyes on this one.

Montani semper liberi
[ Parent ]
His real agenda is winning in 2012 (4.00 / 3)
and she's undermining THAT.
[ Parent ]
Except that (4.00 / 4)
his game plan for 2012 seems to be "kiss the donors, kick the voters." And she is with him all the way on that.

Montani semper liberi
[ Parent ]
Well, then he's just a fool (4.00 / 2)
Going into 2012 with no real accomplishments, howls from the right, and not even calling the right to account for obstruction is suicide, no matter how much you have in donations.  
[ Parent ]
NO, HE'S DOING IT ALL BY HIMSELF! (0.00 / 0)
Of course, with the help of idiots like Rahm Emanuel!
[ Parent ]
Actually, Obama "undermines" (0.00 / 0)
Obama's agenda!  He's done himself in for good this time!

He's his own worst enemy!

[ Parent ]
Ps. Glad you endorsed Halter, Chris. (4.00 / 1)
I think this one is doable.

It's time to stand up to conservadems.  

They are just hedging (4.00 / 2)
The WH has nothing to lose by endorsing Lincoln. It might earn them a little goodwill from the Senator over the next few months. Certainly they do not need to endorse the challenger, since it does not matter to the WH whether the challenger (or us) gets mad at them.

This is a good example of political inertia. WH support of Lincoln isn't ideological. It is just inertia because they need what little cooperation they might get from her between now and the election.

ec=-8.50 soc=-8.41   (3,967 Watts)

They have plenty to lose. (0.00 / 0)
They are losing their BASE!!!
[ Parent ]
did anyone really (0.00 / 0)
believe that Wal-Mart would risk loosing Linclon as their rep.  I am sure the call to the white house came very quickley.  Since Wal-Mart is now considered a person, I am sure the money will be pouring in shortly.  Halter doesn't stand a chance.  
what a piece of shit (0.00 / 0)
I can't wait to see Obama fall on his ass in 2012. Gonna start a webpage detailing all of his lies, failures, and republican ass kissing. America gave him the best opportunity of his life just to watch him start fucking it up right off the bat.

Extraordinary progressive star in the making
What do we know about Bill Halter? (0.00 / 0)
His web site doesn't have an Issues page yet.
He's being supported by Glenn Greenwald & Firedoglake. (0.00 / 0)
And that's good enough for me.
[ Parent ]
Um, guys, does anyone realize that the primary election (0.00 / 0)
is on May 18?

How the hell is Halter gonna pull this off in two and a half months?

WE NEED A PRIMARY FOR OBAMA IN 2012! (0.00 / 0)
I refuse to ever vote for him again, let alone work for his re-election or contribute to his campaign.  He is an ineffective, SPINELESS, corrupt WIMP!!!
White House endorses Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas primary | 36 comments
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