2010 challenges mean starting early for Democrats
By Emily on 07/31/2009 @ 04:43 PM
2010 is closer than we think -- and the race for seats has already begun.
Numerous recent polls have shown that President Obama's job approval ratings are hovering around "essentially normal levels" after "sky-high job approval ratings" earlier this year. And for some, at least, those polls reflect a national trend: a growing partisan divide.
From POLITICO:
“Expecting the politics of the country to transform around a new president is asking a bit much of the president and of the system,” said Pollster.com’s Mark Blumenthal, a Democratic pollster who noted that Americans who voted for Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Obama’s 2008 Republican opponent, appear to have returned to the opposition. “As of the snapshot of the moment, things look about like they did last October,” he said. “If you’re a Democrat, you ought to be concerned with the trajectory.”
National Journal's Charlie Cook started his article today with an equally serious warning:
Democrats can now assume that the charmed life they enjoyed in 2006 and 2008 is over. The wind, waves, and tides, which were strong and at their backs in those elections, will at best be still in 2010. The chances of those forces being in their faces this time are rising.
We've already told you that the GOP has been on the attack, particularly against vulnerable freshmen. Looks like Democrats will once again be fighting for those swing voters who made the difference in 2008.
There's no doubt, of course, that President Obama is tackling huge issues during challenging times, but moving his progressive agenda will also require protecting Democratic incumbents and increasing our majorities in the House and Senate.
One thing's for sure this election cycle: Republicans are going to do everything they can to win seats, and it's our job to match them every step of the way.
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