Friday, January 15, 2010

Taking Up That Double Dog Dare

Yesterday Scott Brown practically dared Obama to show up, saying "outsiders weren't welcome" in the Massachussets Senate race (while welcoming Rudy Giuliani, oh by the way, the clear message being our first African-American president is the kind of person not welcome in Scott Brown's neighborhood and he's blowing on that dog whistle for all it's worth).

Today, President Obama decided to call Scott Brown's dare.
President Obama plans to visit the state Sunday to campaign for Senate candidate Martha Coakley, according to two senior Democratic officials.

A third Democratic source said that the event with Obama would likely be held in the Boston area, either in the city itself, or in one of two communities where Coakley is scheduled to campaign, Quincy and Framingham.

Additional details were not immediately available. The Globe today outlined the advantages and risks of a presidential visit.

The potential upsides are obvious; Obama won Massachusetts with 62 percent of the vote in 2008, and the glamour and media saturation of a presidential visit, especially at a large rally, would add a jolt of excitement to a campaign that has been seen as lackluster.
Which is true...but the Village has to be the Village.
 But there are risks. If Obama visits Massachusetts and Coakley loses, it would signal that Obama’s ability to motivate rank-and-file Democrats has slipped. It would buoy Republican efforts to take back the House and Senate this fall. And it could fuel criticism that he made a political trip while pressing issues awaited in Washington.
Best part is if Obama didn't show up, the Village would be complaining that Obama was so unpopular that he was hiding from a critical race and had no political capital to spare, and that the White House was adopting a "bunker mentality."

If you're damned if you do and damned if you don't, at least get out there and use the bully pulpit.  Obama wisely has chosen to do so.

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