Game On: Trujillo Camp Knocks Abraham Over Citified Q&A

In her Citified Q&A published yesterday, Lynne Abraham had some tough words about Barack Obama. I’d asked Abraham about why she had decided to run now, and she replied:

I think there was an absence of leadership, and people are looking for a strong, different kind of leader. By that, I take it to mean that they don’t object that I’m a woman, that we’re mature enough to say, “OK, she’s not a kid.” We can say all we want about youth, and youth must be served, but youth doesn’t have experience.

We see that in our President, who had youth and handsomeness and brightness. Hasn’t served him well, because he didn’t know the nuances of governing, and he’s gotten his head handed to him 12 different ways. Even though he’s a consummately decent human being and wants to do the right thing.

A day later, the campaign of Ken Trujillo is jumping on those remarks to paint Abraham as a something-less than loyal Democrat. In an email to supporters, Trujillo campaign manager Jane Slusser (selectively) quoted Abraham, and posited a question: “Guess who said it?”

“Nope, not John Boehner, not Governor Corbett,” Slusser wrote. “This is how Democratic candidate for Mayor, Lynne Abraham, described Barack Obama—the Commander-in-Chief who ended the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the President whose historic healthcare legislation allowed 150,000 Philadelphians to get insured. Is this the kind of ‘Democrat’ you want to be your next mayor?”

This is pretty standard fare, and it’s notable really for only two reasons. 1) It suggests the campaign season has begun in earnest, and 2) It doesn’t look like the Trujillo camp plans on pulling any punches.

A screenshot of the email is below.