Pariah Obama Avoided Like the Plague in Pittsburgh

As President Barak Obama readies to visit the City of Pittsburgh today, area politicians are scattering like buckshot.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, the only politician brave enough to endure the Obama election curse is Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who was recently re-elected to office.

Congressmen Jason Altmire (D-04) and Tim Murphy (R-18) both have ‘previous engagements” and will not be at the President’s event.  Recently elected Congressman Mark Critz also had a previously scheduled event to attend, while Democrat Senatorial candidate Joe Sestak turned down the White House’s offer (where have I heard that phrase before) to attend.

Senator Bob Casey (D), a close friend of Obama from their days in the Senate, has decided he would rather not get too close to the President and will be “out of town” during the visit.  Congressman Mike Doyle (D-14) and Democrat Gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato are also claiming the “out of town” excuse.

In recent elections, the candidate that President Obama supports, campaigns for or is seen with has suffered humiliating electoral defeat, so it is no wonder he is being avoided like the plague by the Pittsburgh political elite.

UPDATE: 6/2 3:35 pm – Mark Knoller of CBS News reporting from the event on Twitter:

“Though Obama remarks are decidedly partisan, audience response is less so. few interruptions for applause.”

UPDATE II: 6/2 5:45 – ABC’s Karen Travers made similar comments about Obama’s speech and the crowd’s overall apathy.

“Obama was serving up some partisan red meat but the audience of about 300 people at Carnegie Mellon University did not seem to have a taste for it. There were few applause breaks and the crowd was largely subdued.”