President Obama’s endorsement of Senator Brian Schatz in the Democratic Primary is making news today.
According to a report from the Huffington Post, the endorsement was announced by the Schatz campaign mid-day today in Washington.
The endorsement was noted by the Washington Post and TalkingPointsMemo.com, and The Hill.
HuffPo also noted a response by EMILY’s List:
Stephanie Schriock, the president of EMILY’s List, defended Hanabusa’s record and said it will be up to Hawaii’s voters, not politicians, to pick their next senator. EMILY’s List endorsed Hanabusa last summer.
It’s another whiplash moment, as a group that continually broadcasts the importance of its endorsement of Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, implying that we really shouldn’t pay attention to the president’s endorsement of her opponent.
Pass the neck brace, please.
But I can pretty much guarantee that if Hanabusa gets a future endorsement from Hillary Clinton, her campaign will be back agreeing on the importance of such endorsements.
Georgia Public Broadcasting profiled race a few days ago, giving a pretty even handed assessment.
Meanwhile, several emails from Hanabusa’s campaign in the past couple of days shows they are soliciting last-minute contributions before the end of the day (and the month, and the reporting period).
“Even $3 right now makes a difference,” according to the most recent email I received from the Hanabusa campaign.
It will be interesting to see if Hanabusa, who has been running behind in fundraising for the campaign, is able to narrow the distance between the candidates.
Meanwhile, a quick check at the latest candidate report from the state’s Office of Elections shows that neither Schatz nor Hanabusa have gotten around to filing nomination papers yet in the U.S. Senate race. No Democrats have filed. The only “official” candidate so far is Harry Friel, Jr., of Kapolei, who filed as Republican.
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Thanks for the cheering news on a Monday morning. I am in my sixties and have no problem acknowledging that some tasks and goals are now beyond my capabilities. This is apparently a problem for many politicians who seem to regard their self-imagined indispensability as a magic potion of longevity. Schatz’s youth and energy are an important part of why he is the better candidate as part of the political calculation that Hawaii is better served by a Senator with the potential to serve for three decades or longer.
It’s all about identity politics. Emily’s list supports “progressives” over conservatives, and supports female candidates over males. But when there’s a conflict between those two principles, Emily’s list will always support a female even if a male is more “progressive.” We saw something similar in the primary election contest a few years ago between Ed Case and Dan Akaka. All the big ethnic Hawaiian institutions and their lobbyists worked very hard against Case merely because Akaka was Hawaiian, even though Case zealously supported the Akaka bill and the racial entitlement programs and Case would have been more energetic and politically effective than Akaka.
I was having a hard time deciding between Hanabusa and Schatz in case I decide to vote in the Democrat primary. Obama’s endorsement of Schatz helps me decide to vote for Hanabusa, as a way of showing my disapproval of Obama’s agenda.
How just this all seems to me.
Hanabusa bludgeons the man she is challenging to succeed after a mean-spirited attack over his support of Social Security ( I’ve been a beneficiay for a decade).
Less than a day thereafter, the President says enough of that stuff and endorses the incumbent.
Good karma?
1954 was a long time ago. Time to put right-thinking white people back in charge!
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid added his endorsement of Schatz shortly after the POTUS.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/harry-reid-endorses-brian-schatz
These developments are sticky wickets for Hanabusa’s camp. It’s one thing to cast a progressive group as Mainland interlopers trying to manipulate the vote of the local people. Trying to hang the interloper tag on Obama,… that’s not going to work. And if Hanabusa says anything negative about Reid, so much for convincing anyone about how effective she would be as a legislator in the Senate.
These endorsements are going to have to be “grin and bear it” moments for Hanabusa. Lashing out at Obama and Reid would be counterproductive for her already struggling campaign.
I have not yet made up my mind on Schatz vs. Hanabusa. Objectively speaking, I would like to know if Emily’s List ever supports a man?
Hillary, HELP!! FOR HANABUSA.