RN-T.com – Obama political value unclear amid controversy

BOSTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is putting his second term appeal to the test, seeking to boost Democrats in Boston and Miami on Wednesday both as a fundraiser and as a political drawing card, even while trailed by controversies over government prying.

Obama, in Massachusetts to rally voters before a nationally watched special Senate election later this month, rolled up his sleeves and tuned his voice to the campaign cadences of his own re-election run last year to pitch for Rep. Ed Markey, the Democratic hopeful in the race.

“I’ve gotta have folks in the United States Senate who are willing to stand up for working people just like I have,” he said. Markey, he added, “will be my partner.”

In headlining a rally for Markey, Obama is trying to fulfill a pledge to work harder to help elect Democrats than he did in years past. It’s a risky proposition that raises questions about whether the president will be more asset or liability to his party in the coming election season.

Moreover, the president is carrying out his partisan duties while at the same time seeking bipartisan cooperation from Republicans on key issues, most notably an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws.

Obama tried to walk that fine line by declaring his willingness to work across party lines and arguing that he doesn’t think “any single party has a monopoly on wisdom.”

via RN-T.com – Obama political value unclear amid controversy.