Barack Obama and the Deathly Midterms

[Sandra]

Barack Obama and the Deathly Midterms

Source: The Telegraph.UK
URL Source: [None]
Published: Oct 17, 2010
Author: Nile Gardiner

America’s liberal elites only have to wait another couple of weeks for November 2nd to roll by and see the
latest frightening installment in the thrilling decline of the Obama
presidency, and unlike the Warner Brothers production, this one will
definitely be in 3D.

This morning’s Sunday papers make grim reading for the White House, which is probably why the website of The New York Times doesn’t have a single “headline” story on the midterms
on its front page at time of writing this post. “All the news fit to
print” – except for the bad news for the Left that is.

Meanwhile, across town at The Wall Street Journal, the headline reads,
“Democrats Retrench as GOP Pulls Away”. As The Journal reports:

The emerging battlefield, two weeks before Election Day, is almost entirely
in districts now held by Democrats… A survey of voters in competitive
House districts released Friday reinforced the point that Democrats face
a tough road. The poll, for National Public Radio, found that in 58
Democratic-held battleground districts, 47% of likely voters preferred
the Republican for Congress in their district, while 44% preferred the
Democrat, a three percentage-point gap.

In its election coverage, The Washington Post is headlining a story “Republican
Congressional Candidates Race Ahead in Fundraising”, and reports that
“Republican congressional candidates have sprinted ahead of Democrats in
the race to raise money for the midterm elections, signaling a strong
advantage for the GOP heading into the final two weeks of the campaign.”

Another Post story cites Joe Gaylord, top political adviser to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who predicts a Republican gain of 59
to 63 House seats, far more that the 39 needed to take control. As The
Post notes, Gaylord accurately predicted the scale of the GOP win in
1994.

The Los Angeles Times has a similar lead to The Washington Post, with its top story “Republican Funding Surge Provides Crucial
Advantage”, which talks of a possible “historic rout” for the Democrats
in the midterms:

Some Democrats now fear an onslaught in which the party loses more than 50 seats in the House, with a Republican
takeover of the Senate remaining a possibility as well. The last such
electoral shock wave struck in 1994, when the GOP took 54 House seats
and eight in the Senate. It was dubbed the “Republican Revolution.”

At RealClear Politics – absolutely essential reading ahead of the
November elections – Barack Obama’s overall job approval stands this
morning at 44 percent, with 65 percent of Americans saying the country
is on “the wrong track.” RealClear Politics’ latest House of
Representatives projection has the Republicans with a 29 seat advantage
(with 40 toss-ups), and a 26-14 lead in the Governor races. In the
highly volatile battle for the Senate however, the GOP still has some
ground to make up, with RCP’s latest projection giving the Democrats a
three seat advantage (with five toss-ups).

Leading pollster Scott Rasmussen is now predicting a 55 seat gain for the GOP in the
House. His latest Daily Presidential Tracking Poll has President Obama
with a presidential approval rating index of minus 17 points, with just
28 percent of the nation’s voters strongly approving of the way that
Barack Obama is performing his role as president, and 45 percent
strongly disapproving.

While the Senate race remains extremely tight, most polls are pointing to a Republican takeover of the House.
And as Michael Barone has noted, the shift to the GOP could be the
biggest since 1894, let alone 1994. For President Obama, this is a
nightmare scenario, with his legislative agenda lying in ruins, and
facing a campaign for the repeal of his hugely controversial and costly
health care reform law. November 2nd could well be the worst day for
America’s Left in more than a decade, signaling the start of another
conservative revolution and a firm rejection of Barack Obama’s Big
Government agenda.

It is dangerous for a national candidate to say things that people might remember.--- Eugene McCarthy