Behind The Mic With Joe Mathieu: Will Obama Visit Help Markey?
BOSTON (CBS) - This is a story about risk versus reward.
The candidate - in this case, Congressman Ed Markey - wants money for the last big push in this campaign. And President Obama can help him get it.
But the candidate also needs support from independent voters. And that's where the potential risk lies.
Let's be honest - this has not been a great year for President Obama.
I am not judging his performance - that's not my job.
But consider Benghazi, the IRS targeting scandal, the tracking of AP reporters and more recently the NSA surveillance programs.
Even some Democrats are criticizing the president.
Not so much for Rep. Markey who could actually score some political points by calling out the president.
And we've seen his support fall a bit along with the president's in recent polls.
We know that presidential endorsements don't always do a lot to help a candidate - just ask Martha Coakley - but they do help to fill the bank account.
And in a world where money speaks loudest, it's not too hard to figure out the president's real purpose in coming here today, beyond mobilizing the African-American community at an event in Roxbury - he's the fundraiser-in-chief.
And this follows a fundraiser for Markey held last night in Washington, DC.
Markey himself was not there – he was at a debate in Springfield.
But Vice President Joe Biden was there. And he said Markey wouldn't just be a single vote in the Senate, but "part of a movement," recalling the main attack line against Markey - that he never breaks ranks with own party.
You can follow Joe on Twitter @JoeMathieuWBZ.
