Nearly a year to the day after telling reporters “I asked Obama not to endorse me,” Joe Biden finally got the backing of his old boss.
“Joe has the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times and heal us through a long recovery. And I know he’ll surround himself with good people – experts, scientists, military officials who actually know how to run the government and care about doing a good job running the government,” Barack Obama said in a 12-minute video released Tuesday.
“Joe has the character and the experience to guide us through one of our darkest times and heal us through a long recovery. And I know he’ll surround himself with good people – experts, scientists, military officials who actually know how to run the government and care about doing a good job running the government,” Barack Obama said in a 12-minute video released Tuesday.
Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale responded: “Barack Obama spent much of the last five years urging Joe Biden not to run for president out of fear that he would embarrass himself. Now that Biden is the only candidate left in the Democrat field, Obama has no other choice but to support him.”
According to the Washington Post, Obama’s endorsement following close on the heels of the announcement by Sen. Bernie Sanders is part of a coordinated rollout plan to build momentum for Biden and show him as the leader of a unified party. On the list of names next in line are Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton.
But what about Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Rep. Chris Pappas, state Sen. Dan Feltes and Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky. All prominent NH Democrats. None have endorsed Biden. Check the list for yourself.
Why not? Sen. Shaheen and Rep. Pappas have declined repeated requests for comment from NHJournal, extending back to the FITN primary when their endorsement of any candidate could have made a significant difference. Remember, Sanders nearly edged out Mayor Pete Buttigieg by less than 2 percent.
Volinsky, a close ally of Sanders who was endorsed in the gubernatorial primary by the Vermont senator, responded to a tweet asking how Bernie backers were responding to the news: “Running for Gov in NH. Endorsed by Sen Sanders. Fighting for M4A, gnd, college affordability, vote by mail, no Corp PAC, and most importantly, improving k-12 education w/well-paid teachers.”
Notably missing from Volinsky’s list: Helping get Joe Biden elected president.
The one exception — and this appears to be breaking news — is that Sen. Feltes, who told NHJournal on Tuesday that he’s now publicly backing Biden.
“The Trump administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic is just one more example of the dangers of his presidency. It is more important than ever that we all unite behind Vice President Biden. He knows what it’s like to struggle. He grew up in a working-class family in Scranton and his plans to focus on kitchen-table issues and working families is a message that will resonate with Granite Staters,” Feltes said.
Political observers have confessed puzzlement over the stubborn silence of Shaheen and Pappas. They’re natural Biden backers and it’s hard to believe they would pay a meaningful price for endorsing him — in February or today.
