After President Obama’s victory in 2008, he quickly disappeared from the midterm Congressional elections in 2010; Democrats ran from him. But now they’re looking to be his best friend again after his re-election victory. Obama has apparently offered House Democrats help in their races in 2014, hoping to resecure the House from Republicans.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel (D-NY) told The Hill that Obama and he had spoken three times, including election night. Obama selfishly kept all money for his campaign in 2012 rather than funneling it to tough House races. “He has been proactive in offering assistance,” said Israel. “We’re talking to the campaign about what that assistance means. We have asked for some financial support.” Israel apparently had to tell Obama that giving cash would be the most important for Obama’s legacy. Which is all Obama cares about.
For Israel, the big hero of 2012 wasn’t Obama. It was Bill Clinton: “Clinton was just a rock star in 2012, in this cycle …. He was a secret weapon for DCCC and I anticipate he’ll continue to do that. This is the cool part, one of the cool things that I love. My cell phone would ring and it would be President Clinton and he would start doing race reviews with me around the country … and know almost as much as I did about who we were recruiting.”
The Clintons will continue to be a powerful ally going into 2016. With Hillary recovering from her concussion, she’ll be looking to the White House herself. And she’ll need all the help she can get.