Want a sign that the political albatross that is Barack Obama scares the living daylights out of Democrats? Even Governor Hickenlooper, who isn't on the ballot for another three years, doesn’t plan on campaigning for him. Yesterday, in a meeting with the Colorado Springs Gazette, when the Governor was asked if he would be stumping for Obama's reelection, Hickenooper begged off, giving the lame excuse that he's "not the best public speaker."
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When have you ever heard a Governor say he won't campaign for his party's President because of his own faulty public oratory skills?
Can you imagine if Bill Owens tried to meekly slink away from President Bush in 2004?
If Hick doesn't take another tongue lashing from Obama's political minders in the White House for this distancing, we'll be extremely surprised.
Expectation setting is the name of the game this far out from November 2012, and Hick has not done Obama a lick of good in his prognostications and political maneuverings.
From an off-hand remark to a Politico reporter saying he thought Obama would "have a hard time" winning Colorado in 2012, to his weak attempt to walk that back by saying Obama "probably can win," Hick has given national and state political reporters plenty of ammunition to paint a bleak portrait of the Centennial State political landscape for the titular head of the Democrat Party.
And it's not just Hick that's hiding from Obama.
Yesterday The Denver Post published a photo of the 12 young Democrats who Obama met with before giving his campaign speech at CU Denver. In it you can't find a single Democrat that exists in anything resembling a swing seat.
Also very noticeably absent — Sal Pace (D-Urination). The event was heralded as a meeting of elected Democrats under 35. As the highest ranking Democrat in the state House at 34, Pace should have been an obvious addition to the group. But as a candidate for a competitive Congressional district, Pace made sure he wasn’t lucky number 13.
Being seen with Obama is a scary proposition for any candidate who needs to appeal to the coveted Unaffiliated voter in Colorado, a subset of the electorate that disapproves of Obama's tenure 56-38.
But if the Governor, who possesses some of the highest approval ratings in the country and doesn't have to worry about facing voters this cycle, won't even give a speech on behalf of Barack, who will?
Will Obama's re-election campaign stump team consist of nothing more than Diana DeGette, Michael Bennet and a few safe seat Dems from Denver?
The Democrat group Project New West released a Colorado poll earlier this week showing Obama the most popular person compared to his GOP rivals in an attempt to beat back the narrative that Obama is headed towards what Steve Jobs said would be a one-term Presidency.
Being the popular guy is nice and all, but if no one wants to recommend you for the job, you're probably not going to get it.
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(Photo Credit: City of Denver)