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ABC's Donaldson: Obama didn't want to support losing candidate

CREATED Jun. 13, 2012

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MILWAUKEE - It was a big question during the recall campaign, would President Obama campaign for Mayor Tom Barrett?  The President never came to Wisconsin.  Mr. Obama claimed in a recent interview that he is busy as President and didn't have time to come here.  However, during the final days of the campaign, the President attended fundraisers in Illinois and Minnesota.

We asked ABC's Sam Donaldson about the President's explanation.

Donaldson says he thinks the President knows the public will see right through his comment.  "I suspect Barack Obama is smart enough to understand that no one buys that," Donaldson said.

But he points out the President really couldn't say anything else.

"If you blurt out the truth, that's a huge gaffe.  Was he going to say, look, I'm more popular in Wisconsin than Mayor Barrett was and I don't want to diminish my popularity next November by signing on to a losing guy."

The President did send a tweet expressing his support for Mayor Barrett prior to the election.

Click here to listen to the complete audio of Sam Donaldson on Newsradio 620 WTMJ's "Wisconsin's Morning News."