With surrogates like these, who needs enemies?
Today, former PA Governor and DNC Chair Ed Rendell expanded on his criticism of the Obama administration. In an interview with CBS Morning News – video above, helpfully posted by the GOP – he said Obama lacked executive experience and ceded too much power to Congress during the formulation of Obamacare and the stimulus package.
“I think the president was hurt by being a legislator only; for example healthcare and stimulus. Two bills that I think did good things for the American people. He sort of said ‘here’s what I want, flush it out.’”
He went further. He said former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton would have been more effective as president.
“I think [Clinton] would’ve come in with a lot more executive experience,” Rendell said.
Needless to say, national Republicans jumped at the opportunity to use one of Obama’s surrogate’s words against him. The Republican National Committee released a press release in response to Rendell’s comments, echoing the former governor’s statements.
“The President’s dismal attempts at improving our economy (sic) clearly weren’t enough,” the statement said.
“Even prominent Pennsylvania Democrats like Ed Rendell are calling into question his judgment and saying that those failed policies are hurting President Obama’s chances of winning Pennsylvania in 2012.”
After criticizing President Obama’s campaign attacks on Romney’s experience in private equity a number of times, Rendell told The Huffington Post on Wednesday that Pennsylvania is very much “in play” in November’s election, despite many outsiders deeming the state as leaning Democrat.
“It’s going to be a close election. The president is not going to do well in the west. He lost 11 of 12 southwestern Democratic counties in 2008, even though he won the state by 11 points,” Rendell said.
“I think he will improve the vote there because a number of them are construction workers, etc. … and I think they know what is going on. I think he will do better there. But I don’t think he will carry there. The election will be determined by basically the four Philadelphia suburban counties.”
Rendell’s comments yesterday preceded the release of a poll by Franklin and Marshall College indicating that Obama holds a 48 to 36 percent lead over Romney in Pennsylvania.
Why the sudden surge of off-the-reservation comments from Rendell? It’s impossible to say for sure, but it’s important to note that he has a book to sell. “A Nation of Wusses: How America’s Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great,” which serves as a critique of contemporary politics, hit shelves a few days ago.
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10 Responses
How come no one is saying fast Eddy is rascist? I thought that’s what the Press said about anyone not wanting Obama as President.
Lets see how many Millions of The Peoples money did Fast Eddie Manage to Move into The Law Firm for which Fast Eddie Works ? Almost 2 many 2 count .
Gov. Rendell’s observation is to the point and analytically correct (as far as his comparison of President Obama and Hillary Clinton’s experience.)
His speculation about whether Mrs. Clinton would have been more successful is still speculation, although I do believe she would have built a stronger democratic coalition and would not have her budget flatly rejected by the democratic caucus.
As Obama is not your daddy’s democrat and Casey is certainly not his father, Hillary is certainly not Bill.
Some of these comments are profoundly ridiculous. I genuinely enjoy the fact that the GOP is still trying to castigate Obama for being an Islamist, and that there are still bigoted, racist angry republicans calling for his birth certificate. First things first, he won a long time ago, please get over it. The continuation of accusations of Islamism and non legal residency shows a remarkable lack of imagination and genuine desperation on the part of the GOP’s cronies. These weak arguments are so worn out and tired, you’d think there would at least be new ones. Guess that just draws attention to the fact that there aren’t any new ideas worth considering coming from any GOP “leaders” in PA. The absurd austerity/Corbett’s policies have shown, once again, that when PA’s GOP leaders do occasionally have new ideas, they are decidedly bad.
The latest causality of these bad decisions: the city of Reading just announced yesterday it would lay off 110 teachers as a DIRECT result of Corbett’s decisions. Education, shmeducation – GOP’s current motto for PA.
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=8690826
Do I agree with Rendell bashing Obama to praise someone who is not even a presidential candidate for at least several years? Definitely not. Like any person, he’s fallible and will do sometimes irrational things. But the current governor, Corbett, and the GOP in the legislature are fundamentally hurting the state profoundly. Thankfully, Corbett will be a one term governor, unlike Rendell.
Please, Rendell come back to the political scene, random criticisms of your own party are to be expected, and actually showcase your political individualism, and small price to pay for the overall decency exhibited by your administration. In a display of complete indecency, Corbett’s cuts to necessary programs, and myopic policies that force teacher layoffs and hurt the working poor, do nothing but showcase a genuine lack of empathy for others. And you all know it.
No we will bag Billary on their FP of Appeasement and politics. Bill wants her to run now as soon has BLT Obama and his ”Reverands” of hate prove that IslamObama is the biggest enemy to America and the world at large.
Fast Eddie has to make those headlines to stay relevant.
I love the Dick Morris accounts of his days w the Clintons. Fights and Uncle Willie choking him late at night, mixed drinks spilled on the floor, Hillary begging him to come back. That’s why I love the Clintons.
Fast Eddie is up for sale to whomever he can schmooze…. Gas industry, wall street, whomever. Although you refer to him as a rat…. I tend to think of him more as a lizard who adapts to his environment and changes color in order to feed. The more stupid or controversial stuff he says… the more he gets attention and paid. Friend or foe, there is a good chance you could easily turn into his prey. I tend to refer to his cohorts as the cheese nibbling rats.
self-aggrandizing media whore…
For me, it is not hard to imagine that these stories/controversies are being created by Ed, Bill Clinton and others to create an “awakening” moment for the President to suddenly and very publicly realize that that his administration needs to change direction for the good of the country. Hillary is the agent for change and we are led back to the nostalgia(circa 2008) that led to his sucessful election.
Of course, I believe that an “awakening” moment for this President would be a complete farce. To me, it seems like many of this Presidents “Presidential” positions and decisions are based solely around getting re-elected as opposed to making Presidential decisions based on what is actually good for the country today, five years from today or 50 years from today.
Then again, this may be Clinton and others calculated decision to support the President just enough(while jabbing him every chance they get) so that if and when BO does not get reelected, Hillary isn’t a Democratic pariah, and is subsequently in position to run for office in 2016.
Loks like the rats are deserting a sinking ship. With friends like Ed, Clinton, and Booker, who needs enemys? One thing I’ve always noticed about dems, they have absolutely no loyalty.
Fast Eddie-
Instead of the sock…. Put a cheesesteak in it. Thx.