The adviser Barack Obama tapped to lead his search for a running mate has stepped down amid criticism from Republicans about the Washington insider’s lucrative past with financial corporations and lenders.This is probably the best political move for the Obama campaign. Keeping him was going to become a bigger and bigger liability. If Obama removed him himself it would have been a rather cynical and stunning turn around from his strong defense of Johnson yesterday. By dropping out himself, Johnson spares Obama that problem. Furthermore, this should put this episode to rest.
Jim Johnson, a former Fannie Mae CEO who also helped vet running mates for Walter Mondale in 1984 and John Kerry in 2004, was under fire following reports that he received favorable loan terms from a lender Obama has sharply criticized on the campaign trail.
The whole affair is still a stain on Obama. Everything about it is still counter to everything he claims to stand for. While this is certainly not some sort of death knell for the campaign, it is another drip in a series of missteps by the Obama campaign.
No comments:
Post a Comment