Chris Matthews on MSNBC’s Hardball sees a potential political pitfall for DC mayor Adrian Fenty after the city’s lackluster efforts at snow removal.
Matthews says, “This city needs a little better effort right now.”
He goes on to note that this is an election year.
“I’ve watched the big cities where mayors lose their jobs over stuff like this… It’s time for competition in the next primary.”
Fenty, who was first elected in 2006 and won every precinct in the city, has suffered from a serious of gaffes and hubris. A recent Washington Post poll revealed Fenty’s approval rating at 42%, while 49% disapprove of the job he’s doing.
At present Fenty has no challengers. DC Council Chair Vincent Gray is considering a bid. Millionaire developer R. Donahue Peebles, who last year talked about running but pulled back for family reasons, is re-considering.
DC political consultant Chuck Thies doesn’t quite agree with Matthews, but sees problems ahead for Fenty. “Chris Matthews pays attention to the White House and Capitol Hill, not local DC politics. It’s not the snow that is Fenty’s problem, it’s Fenty himself. He ran as a populist and a hands-on public official. That ended soon after he was sworn in and was replaced with arrogance and aloofness. Add to that some very real concerns that he’s handing out city contracts to his personal friends, plus a poor relationship with local press, and you’ve got the perfect formula for toppling a once-popular incumbent. All this race needs is a viable candidate with the guts to jump in.”
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What a day for DoubleSpeak! This morning we scored an interview with Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia and were able to be among the first people to ask him about the Washington Post’s reports that he sits atop Senator Barack Obama’s shortlist for Vice-President.
We’ve posted over at HuffingtonPost’s OffTheBus but wanted to give some love to all you DoubleSpeakers out there too. Here’s the recap as described on the HuffPo:
Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia woke up this morning to a new reality. He is, as reported by the Washington Post, on the short list to be Sen. Barack Obama’s running mate.
Kaine’s monthly radio appearance to discuss local issues pre-scheduled for today on WTOP radio in Washington, DC, was cast in different, higher intensity light. Kaine was joined by his colleagues DC Mayor Adrian Fenty and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley.
It was quite a scene with a catered buffet (which included an omelet station) and a throng of reporters waiting to get an answer to the question of the day: will Kaine be Obama’s Vice-Presidential pick?
Immediately following the radio broadcast, we were able to get a few minutes with the Governor and ask a number of questions about his personal reaction to the attention he’s receiving and to get his response to Sen. McCain’s recent attacks on Sen. Obama’s overseas trip.
Kaine on McCain’s campaign:
“It’s just desperation. They’re just looking for a handle to grab on and slow the momentum of this bus down. And, it’s a different strategy every couple of days. It really has the air of desperation about it.”
Kaine on Vice-Presidential Speculation:
“…I’m not going to make the case for myself because that’s not why I’ve endorsed Senator Obama…”
“And, it still seems unlikely to me, it’s nice being mentioned. My Mom likes it, you know, but look, I got on board in February of ‘07 because I knew the country needed a change in direction and from a good Democratic field– I thought the field was a good field– he just struck as the guy who could change the direction of the nation. I’m just so gratified by the way the campaign has been run and the chance we have nationally but also in Virginia.”
“It’s a little surreal. It’s surreal to be mentioned and again it’s nice to be considered but I know there’s a lot of folks they’re looking at– there’s a lot of different skills and attributes that they have to weigh– personal, geographic, political — a whole series of things. But, you know, I have grown to have tremendous confidence in Barack’s judgment, in the judgment of his team, in very hard moments along the campaign, you know, I’ve kind of been with him when things were going well and not so well but they’ve always, in a cool and deliberate way, made a good judgment, and I have no doubt that the pick they make is going to be a strong one.”
A very special thank you to our talented photographer Kate Sokolov who negotiated her way through the gaggle of reporters to get some great pics. We also want to thank Governor Kaine’s staff for allowing us great access during the WTOP interview and for granting us one of the only one-on-one interviews of the morning.
