How do you know when a Democratic politician's or candidate's quote will either hurt that person or hurt President Obama (in this case, it's the latter)? When the Politico reports it, and the Associated Press avoids it.
Elizabeth Colbert Busch, who is running against former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford for the congressional seat opened up when Tim Scott was appointed to replace Jim DeMint, apparently felt the need to appeal to those who oppose ObamaCare during a debate on Monday evening. Here's what she said, according to Politico's David Nather and Darren Samuelsohn:
On Monday night, South Carolina’s Elizabeth Colbert Busch, a favorite of the Democratic left, couldn't get away from the law fast enough, calling Obamacare “extremely problematic” — a quote that got wide play from GOP groups like the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
... The NRSC latched onto Colbert Busch’s comments from Monday night, sending out a press release boasting that she joins a “chorus of Democrats who are running for office and running from Obamacare.” Colbert Busch, considered one of the most prominent Democratic candidates in the country, distanced herself considerably from Obamacare Monday night in a debate with former Gov. Mark Sanford.
She has to appeal to voters in a conservative district, just like other Democrats running in states or congressional districts next year will have to win over conservatives and independents, too.
I think what Nather and Samuelsohn are really trying to tell is that Colbert Busch has to try to pretend to be someone she isn't if she's going to have a ghost of a chance of beating even the deeply flawed Sanford.
Here is all the AP had to say about Colbert Bussch's position in three separate debate and post-debate reports (here and here):
The candidates differed over issues such as immigration reform, the federal health care overhaul and abortion during the debate sponsored by the Patch news service, the South Carolina Radio Network and Charleston television station WCBD.
The second linked AP report at Fox News added the words " and which was telecast by C-SPAN." An AP report on the race tonight doesn't even contain the word "health."
In this case, it appears to be more important at the Administration's Press to "protect" readers from seeing leftist dissent against ObamaCare or to plant the seed that statist health care might hurt the left in upcoming congressional elections than it is to help Colbert Busch by making her look more appealing to center-right voters in the Souch Carolina congressional district.
That would appear to indicate that AP doesn't like your chances, Elizabeth.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
