David Vitter: "I'll take a TV personality over a community organizer"

The Louisiana Republican, appearing at the SRLC, takes a shot at President Obama -- and endorses Sarah Palin?

Published April 10, 2010 5:45PM (EDT)

U.S. Representative David Vitter of Louisiana speaks at the 2010 Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana April 10, 2010. As many as 3,000 party activists are to attend the four-day conference, the most prominent gathering of Republicans outside of their presidential nominating conventions. REUTERS/Sean Gardner (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) (Reuters)
U.S. Representative David Vitter of Louisiana speaks at the 2010 Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana April 10, 2010. As many as 3,000 party activists are to attend the four-day conference, the most prominent gathering of Republicans outside of their presidential nominating conventions. REUTERS/Sean Gardner (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) (Reuters)

It wasn't clear whether Sen. David Vitter, R-La., was going to show up at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference this weekend. He's been out campaigning for reelection, pushing back against a challenge from Democratic Rep. Charlie Melancon, and he wasn't originally scheduled to appear. (Perhaps his recent history hits too close to home for a party trying to pretend its national committee didn't just spend nearly $2,000 at a risqué Hollywood nightclub?)

But Saturday morning, Vitter strolled out to introduce former Sen. Rick Santorum -- and to push back a bit against President Obama. "If that's the choice in 2012, I'll take a TV personality over a community organizer any day," he said.

TV personality? Whoever could he mean?

Vitter also urged Republicans to "keep reaching out to our friends in the tea party movement." "They're maligning the tea party effort," he said. "You're going to see a campaign to malign that movement, in particular, like never before... And you're going to see a determined effort to try to misuse that effort to try to split our vote."

Melancon, meanwhile, will hold a rally across town later Saturday.


By Mike Madden

Mike Madden is Salon's Washington correspondent. A complete listing of his articles is here. Follow him on Twitter here.

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2010 Elections 2012 Elections David Vitter Republican Party War Room