President Barack Obama won’t be on any future ballots — but he’s doing 14 fundraisers this year to help Democrats keep the Senate and win the House in 2014.
This news may bolster the widespread view among conservatives that Obama’s primary goal in 2013 is not to solve political conflicts, but to highlight divisive conflicts that could prompt Democratic voters to rally in November 2014.
Those conflicts are already pitting suburban moms against gun rights supporters, amnesty-boosting immigration activists against conservative neighborhoods, and recipients of federal spending against budget hawks.
Obama highlighted the strategy Jan. 16, when he rolled out his push to regulate gun-owners. “What’s more important — doing whatever it takes to get a A grade from the gun lobby that funds their campaigns, or giving parents some peace of mind when they drop their child off for first grade?” he said in a White House appearance.
Obama’s 2014 fundraisers will raise money for the Democrats’ campaign committees in the House and Senate.
In 2009, Obama held 10 fundraisers for the Democrats’ congressional committee, and 12 for the Democratic National Committee.