Chafee Sees Trouble Ahead For Obama In Pennsylvania

Former Sen. Lincoln Chafee sees an uphill battle for Sen Barack Obama, whom he supports, in the upcoming Pennsylvania primary. And he sites the thumping Obama took in his home state of Rhode Island as reason for his skepticism.

"Pennsylvania is going to be tough for the Obama campaign," warned the Republican turned independent. "They have to come up with a good crisp message for the voters there. The message here in Rhode Island resulted in a staggering defeat, almost twenty points [he lost by 18]. And I know my state pretty well. Obama carried the educated community but couldn't win the bellwether."

Chafee, who lost his re-election bid in 2006, announced his endorsement of Obama in mid-February 2007. The two senators served briefly on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Chafee cited Obama's judgment and ability "to bring people together" when offering his support. Now, however, the Rhode Islander says that Obama needs to bone up on the substance.

"I think the question here is still experience and you have got to hammer Sen. Hillary Clinton's failures on health care and the Iraq war vote and tie it to the economy," he said. "I went to his speech here in Rhode Island, and the people say, it sounds great, but how are you going to pay for it? He needs to get into those details."

To be sure, Chafee wasn't down on Obama's electoral stock. Just predicting a difficult road ahead -- or, perhaps, lowering the expectations -- in the Keystone State. Moreover, he saw opportunities for the Obama to make headway against his Clinton.

Asked if he agreed with former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley's criticism that Clinton's unwillingness to release her tax returns, and her husband's refusal to make public the list of donors to his presidential library, would provide ample fodder for Republican opponents, Chafee declared: "Absolutely."

"For the Democratic Party you want these tough questions vetted in the primary," he said. "And it is another argument for Senator Obama to make. Pound on these points. If they don't get asked until the general and then that will stick with them and that's not good."

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Read a HuffPost blog by Barack Obama

Comments

[FreedomLoverX]

Chaffee has a penchant for pointing out the obvious. I like him - he pointed out the obvious when he said we shouldn't go to war. But starting with a 20 point spread, do we not already see that Obama has some work to do in PA?

[geriak]

Lincoln Chafee! What ? Backs Obama - Run people run!!!!

[speakingtruth2power]

Hillary would rather see John W McBomb win rather than have the DLC lose control

of the Democratic Party. By letting the GOP get stuck with the war and bad economy

and have another liberal fail to win a Presidential campaign, 2012 would be all hers.

[GrammyinPA]

Hillary will WIN Pa.

However, if the "Obama haters AND the "Hillary haters" don't stop all these negative attacks, we will end up with McCain as our next president. Scary thought, isn't it??

Please my fellow Democrats, UNITE and stop all this controversary.

[Shelly1970]

Anything you say, Hillary.

[Shelly1970]

BTW, How is AnninCA doing?

Haven't seen her lately?

You really should buy a mirror for your house then.

[Doofus]

As bad as it is here in the Good Old USA, odds are it'll get worse.

Circumstances do not really favor electing a Demo in November, owing to

the Demos' odd penchant for unusual demographic preferences in candidates.

If anything, Barack Obama is too nice a guy to have to serve as President.

With Hillary Clinton, we'd also get another span of years with Bill in the spotlight,

and yet further rounds of Repo vituperation.

With John 'Big Dog' McCain riding the roof of Mitt Romney's car for the next

four years, we'd have to opportunity to see how the Repos dig the hole they've

dug for US even deeper. So... odds are, Lincoln Chafee is more right than he realizes.

Said Paul Krugman, the other day in the NYT:

'I used to think that the major issues facing the next president would be how to get out of Iraq and what to do about health care. At this point, however, I suspect that the biggest problem for the next administration will be figuring out which parts of the financial system to bail out, how to pay the cleanup bills and how to explain what it’s doing to an angry public.'

[patriotscholar]

The Clinton campaign knows that by constantly attacking Obama, they take attention away from themselves. What a concept. Now, where are Hillary's earmarks, her tax records and the White House papers?

[HumeSkeptic]

I don't care. I think I'm going to write-in Reverend Wright for President. I listened to his speech again. I like him. He makes me think.

The only problem I have with the Rev is that he is too religious for my taste. But, the others are not much better. The only thing I hold against him is that he took a perfectly sane man called Obama and "helped" him find Christ. What a waste!

I kind of like what the Reverend says. I didn't quite understand what he said about AIDS, but the rest of it is actually fact-based, if not entirely factual. And i loved the line about Hillary not ever being called a "ni**er" - a very true, and a very powerful statement. I also liked his "Goddamn America" line. It sort of wakes you up and makes you think. It is like burning the flag to shock people into thinking.

People who are bothered by it are no different than those Muslim nuts who were bent out of shape over cartoons of their prophet. No difference.

Go Wright!

[Maifmart]

Make up your mind is Barack a Muslim or some mindless disciple of a rabid black preacher. I guess either way fits Hillary’s Pennsylvania strategy to garner the support of those blue collar Nixon, Reagan, Bush-Bush democrats and remind her Hispanic supporters not vote for a black man. How can she expect to win in November by driving the bus over Afro-Americans now, much less win those blue collar votes from McCain, just because they may be more racist than sexist doesn’t mean they wouldn’t rather vote for a straight talking American hero.

[HumeSkeptic]

Make up your mind is Barack a Muslim or some mindless disciple of a rabid black preacher
------
Careful there. I like that Black preacher, despite the fact that he is religious.

[nellie]

Chafee, you've got to run for Senate again as an Independent or whatever. People with your level of integrity are just too rare in the Congress.

[Tankan]

Win or lose, it's the people's choice!

After all, tomorrow is another day!

[timm0]

Gotta give props to the clinton team. So many different comments posted under different names with unsubstantiated, slanderous innuendo and lies. I like how they all have the same tone, tense, style, and length - just changing up topics. Nothing on policy substance or achievement... just race-baiting and sleaze.

It's a play on the editorial form letter concept where someone writes a bunch of "letters to the editor" and asks people to take one of them to local papers, add their own name, and get them published. "Copy-paste" makes it easier here. Especially where the comments aren't moderated, because this sort of crap is just sad.

Or it's just a coincidence.... Right.

Chaffee is dead on. Obama needs to connect the dots for people.

[rwferr]

Bullcrap you just can't stand the fact that their are people who support Mrs. Clinton instead of Mr. Smoke and Mirrors.

[timm0]

The only thing I can't stand is illogic and people with no morals. hillary has no morals - her campaign proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt. The only evidence that could prove otherwise has been locked up by bubba. clinton supporters may have morals, but they illogically and purposely ignore her disgusting antics - worse, even make apologies and defend her... and that I can't stand.

[Doofus]

Lincoln Chafee, while still a Repo, actually IS an Obama supporter.

[alwayslearning]

Drip...Drip...Drip!!! Here it all comes a little at a time. Senator Obama has done this to himself. He can't blame anyone else. He knew all this anti-American and Rezco stuff and hoped it would not surface. Is that what he means by the "Audacity of Hope"??? I am particularly sorry that he is misleading our youth. They trusted him and he has let them down. Where is the good judgment? Where is the honesty?

[slow2]

alwayslearning,

Stick to your books, and stay away from cable. You'll find good information outside the 4 or 5 incessantly replayed clips of the Rev Wright -- former Marine, inflammatory retired preacher.

Barack Obama's candidacy is based on more than the selective rabble-rousing film footage pulled out of context.

Look at Obama's record objectively, go to respect sources and go to his website. Candidates are -- like voters -- human beings with hundreds of contacts in their networks. Neither candidate is completely in control of all persons who contribute or speak on their behalf. We find out information and we make our best judgment and vote.

[flyguy14222]

There in lies the problem. Looking at his record objectively. He has such a thin one that these incidents stand out clearly. You can pick out a few items from Hillary and splash them all over FluffPost but she has a 35 year record in which the context should be considered. Obama is in trouble here as this DOES show what kind of judgement to expect. Actions speak louder than words!

[rwferr]

And people wonder why Mrs. Clinton wants to drag this out to the convention? Could it be any more clear why now? Because five months is an eternity and we will know a lot more about Obama by then than we even do now. What are the superdelegates to do then? Will anyone (other than rabid Obamanauts who would really rather see him get the nomination and lost than Hillary get it and win) care that the superdelegates vote for Mrs. Clinton then? I doubt it cause the vast majority of democrats actually want to win in November.

[ultrabop]

Wonder if HillBilly has any crazy people in her history??? That maybe even did some sordid things in Bill's white house? Anybody think of anything?

Maybe we could put Ken Star on the Obama dream team to make stuff up?? Relive White Water. The slew of floundering ladies that somehow drifted in the wake of the Clinton House Boat. Some of the flotsam and jetsam might begin to float to the surface again. and then maybe Hmmm...watch out!!! Here comes Monica with an exclusive!!! All the details. What did he do with that cigar??

You want guilt by association. Heck. No problem.

[foreffectivegovernment]

I was not concerned about Senator Obama's middle name or whether he attended an Islamic school when he was young.

I became concerned after finding that Black churches are still preaching "Black Power", "Black Supremacy", and "White Hatred" after I was told that the Country was past racism and that Senator Obama could unite America and that Blacks wanted unity.

The connection of Senator Obama's Pastor and Church to Louis Farrakhan sends chills up my spine because I remember the statements Mr. Farakhan made in the 60's. He scared everyone, Black and White, with his militant speeches. His message was just the opposite of the peaceful protest that Dr. King promoted to bring about social change.

After 17 years of attending this Church, could that be the kind of "Change" Senator Obama has been talking about all this time?

[slow2]

Foreffective,

The United Church of Christ is not a "black church" or a "white church" or an "asian church." All people are encouraged to attend, and there is no "hate message" despite the rhetoric that Wright's messages employ.

The Untied Church of Christ is a Christian church that ministers to the poor as well as the rich. It is not a church of hate or "black power." A denomination is not defined by dramatic and inflammatory preachers. In fact, many preachers rant weekly about their flock's falling into corruption and greed and war. These are not new topics to either Christians or Jews or Muslims. That's what preachers do.

The Rev Wright, now retired and an ex-Marine, was a preacher of some 30 years who preached thousands of sermons, not all of them encapsulated in the sound bites that are shown on TV day and night.

Like The Rev Billy Graham, who some noted could have been considered anti-Semitic in the Nixon era, preachers are visible and vocal in the lives of politicians as well as lay people.

[rwferr]

Really well I just copied and pasted this directly off their website. You couldn't make this up if you tried:

As an outgrowth of these spiritual sojourns, the Africa Ministry has specific objectives inspired by Dr. Wright that call us to:

Create or enhance an Africentric identity
Create an awareness and sensitivity to the joys and concerns of Africa
Make contact and have dialog with African Christians and those of other faiths
Open the way for ties that will link African Christians with their continental sisters and brothers
Provide support for African institutions and causes on the continent that empower the self-determination and development of their constituents, consistent with the theology and mission of Trinity United Church of Christ

[rwferr]

Exactly. And while it apparently doesnt scare the obamanauts who are so rabid they could have pictures of Obama roasting babies and they would not care, it scares the hell out of the rest of us. I am sure the superdelegates got an eyeful as they are regular democrats who actually want to win the election unlike the obamanauts who would rather nominate him and lose rather than nominate Mrs. Clinton.

[dutchess2]

Can you show me any part of the Rev. Wright's sermon that was hateful?

I think the reaction to his sermond are just exactly what the Clintons expected.....white so wrapped up on their own racism they have no clue how Blacks communicate to each other.

Their racism is so deep they have no clue how the blacks perceive them, and are surprised that it is with doubt and suspicion..

Bin Laden himself said 9/11 was retaliation for Americans medling in the middle east... we've been over there trying to control their oil since it was discovered. Years and years of Americans in Muslim countries trying to manage their assets.... you did not think that would cause resentment that others would use to their advantage?

It is true that we have gone to war with many black, brown, red and yellow nations.... but none
that were white since the Revolution. It is also true that we bombed many, killing women and children, killing more than were killed in 9/11 without concern.

We learned nothing from our Revolution: Bombing indiscriminately when the enemy is practicing the same guerilla warfare that our Revolution soldiers used to defeat the English.

It is also true, and has been written about many times, that we did use the Atom bomb on a yellow nation, but we never thought about using it on Germany, which had the technical power to eliminate us and represented a greater threat, but its citizens looked more like us.

It is also true that the Bible says thou shalt not kill.

The silly news casts are repeating and repeating and repeating the reverend's sermons.... without a clue how racist they are to be so upset by black truth...

[Rhouse]

I said this earlier to someon commenting on Obama not "running" in Florida -
He not only ran cable ads in violation of the spirit of the deal, he also gave an impromptu press conference after a fund raiser which was an actual violation of the deal:
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/sep/30/obama-vows-do-whats-right/?news-breaking
I guess another "boneheaded" mistake

[dutchess2]

'scuse you.... ads on National networks fed into Florida, and could not be changed.

Fund raising....

Is that like where Hillary went to visit with the Florida folks before their primary?

Is that like McSame doing a $1000/plate dinner in the United Kingdom?

That kind of fund raising?

[sadcitizen]

Hillary went to Florida After they voted.

[Rhouse]

She like Obama was there for fund-raising, something that the DNC had said was perfectly fine to do. Giving a press conference, said the DNC, was a no-no.

[nohat]

Anybody home? I just blew in from another site. I just did my first blog ever---ever in my life. Alas, something went wrong between 'Submit' and 'Received', or at least I think it did--- the thing vanished before my eyes, I am just sick about it. Will try again. Lots of stuff on this site tonight, thought-provoking....