John
Verum Serum
5/25/2011
Team Obama is building a narrative and this story is part of it:
President Obama’s grassroots army, Organizing for America, played a significant supporting role in efforts to amp turnout for Kathy Hochul in yesterday’s big special election win, according to Democratic sources.
OFA’s New York chapter – joining other national groups like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee – manned phone banks and dropped campaign lit, and some even went door-to-door in the heavily Republican upstate district. OFA has helped other candidates and causes (including a controversial effort to ferry protesters to the Wisconsin State House this year), but this was no charity mission.
Tuesday’s win is critical for Obama’s 2012 narrative: That reckless Republicans are intent on wrecking Medicare – and can be stopped if Democrats band together. Just like in ’08.
The idea that OFA swung the race is part of a political narrative the White House very much wants you to buy into. OFA’s efforts wouldn’t have mattered one bit if not for the Dem/Tea Party spoiler in the race. Whoever passed Politico this info about OFA is probably also working for the President’s reelection.
Related: Bill Clinton to Paul Ryan: The Democrats need to do something about Medicare, at HotAir.com
…“So anyway, I told them before you got here, I said I’m glad we won this race in New York,” Clinton told Ryan, when the two met backstage at a forum on the national debt held by the Pete Peterson Foundation. But he added, “I hope Democrats don’t use this as an excuse to do nothing.”
Ryan told Clinton he fears that now nothing will get done in Washington.
“My guess is it’s going to sink into paralysis is what’s going to happen. And you know the math. It’s just, I mean, we knew we were putting ourselves out there. You gotta start this. You gotta get out there. You gotta get this thing moving,” Ryan said.
Clinton told Ryan that if he ever wanted to talk about it, he should “give me a call.” Ryan said he would.
Afterward, in an interview with ABC, Ryan begged Republicans not to go wobbly in the aftermath of NY-26. Quote: “This is a time for leaders to be leaders.”…
Mediscare and the NY-26 loss; Plus: Ryan the Brave, Reid the Hack, at MichelleMalkin.com
I’ve had my doubts about GOP Rep. Paul Ryan’s commitment to fiscal conservatism in the past, but his mettle is being tested and this is his moment.
Beltway Republicans are going wobbly in the wake of the GOP’s NY-26 loss — seen as a referendum on the Ryan Medicare overhaul plan.
William Jacobson at Legal Insurrection draws bottom-line lessons from the NY race:
There were so many quirks about this race that it’s hard to draw simple conclusions, but I think the following apply (in no particular order):
* A third party candidate can make a difference, and in this case Davis certainly drew more away from Corwin than Hochul.
* The Tea Party brand is powerful. A phony like Davis, who petitioned his way onto the ballot and then chose to call his ballot line the “Tea Party” line still managed to draw a significant vote….
At JammieWearingFool, That NY 26 Election Wasn’t About Medicare At All
If I was the Democrats I wouldn’t be doing a victory dance today over the results of the special election in the New York 26th congressional district. After looking at the results of the election one fact was abundantly clear. Republicans stayed home.
At the very beginning of this campaign there was a lot of disgust expressed by the rank and file Republican voter over the choice made by the New York political establishment of the Republicans choice to carry the banner.
Let’s look at the numbers…
Update: Ryan Fights Back on Medicare
Update 2: Paul Ryan, Bill Clinton Discuss Outlook of Economy; Four “Gang of Six” Senators addressed summit at C-SPAN
Update 3: TIME’s Joe Klein: Dem Winning NY-26 Special Election A “Victory For Socialism”…Weasel Zippers has the video of this craptastic pronouncement.
