A March 2 Metro article on a choking incident in Annapolis inaccurately reflected the political differences between Maryland Sen. John Giannetti and his likely opponent in the primary. Jim Rosapepe said he opposes Giannetti's support of tobacco interests but not specifically the senator's position on a proposed indoor smoking ban.
The Political Impact of Doing a Good Deed for Your Opponent
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Thursday, March 2, 2006
On Ash Wednesday in Annapolis, everybody was talking about the miracle of the senator who came to the aid of his political rival.
CNN and "Good Morning America" came calling, colleagues joked about legislatively issued defibrillators, senators gave each other fake Heimlich maneuvers. There was even some lively discussion about a new kind of campaign ethics: Is it all right to run against someone who (maybe) saved your life?
In the center of the frenzy was Maryland Sen. John A. Giannetti (D-Prince George's), a boyish-looking freshman from Laurel who -- until he helped dislodge a hunk of fish from his competitor's throat Monday night -- was fast becoming known as the guy whose miscues landed him a serious challenge from a well-funded and experienced candidate within his own party.
That candidate, former delegate Jim Rosapepe, had the unlikely fate of stumbling into Giannetti just as he choked on his seafood fra diavolo at an Annapolis trattoria.
"With one thrust," observed Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George's), "Giannetti saved Jim's life, and his own campaign."
If that moment was an episode of good luck, said Pinsky and others, fortune seemed to be shining more vibrantly on Giannetti.
Giannetti, 41, beamed as the burst of publicity swept in. He estimated that he had done a dozen TV interviews by midafternoon, and said a stack of requests was piled high in his Senate office.
In one interview, the senator laughed with a reporter about the awkward moment after the hunk of fish landed on the floor and Rosapepe caught his breath.
"I told him to make sure he chewed all his food next time," he said.
In another, he turned more serious, declaring himself "thankful to God that I was there. The fact that he was one of my critics, it didn't matter at all."
Rosapepe, too, had to contend with the cameras. He tried -- at times gamely -- to sound magnanimous, telling the assembled news crews, "It was a lucky day, in that I was okay and that he had a chance to do a good deed."
"I really appreciate John's help," Rosapepe said in a later interview, "but I didn't feel like I was in a life-threatening situation."
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