It was only a month ago when Saturday Night Live mocked President Obama for failing to accomplish anything of note in his first year in office. Since then, it has become socially acceptable to lampoon the Obama administration for their numerous failures - from dithering on Afghanistan to failed economic policies.
And now, the nation's growing disapproval of Obama's administration and policies has manifested itself at the ballot box:
Independents who swept Barack Obama to a historic 2008 victory broke big for Republicans on Tuesday as the GOP wrested political control from Democrats in Virginia and New Jersey, a troubling sign for the president and his party heading into an important midterm election year.Since Obama's appeal to mainstream America lies primarily in his image as a cool post-partisan genius, these setbacks could further erode public support for his plans. What happens to public support when an empty suit with no substance becomes a national joke?
The president had personally campaigned for Deeds and Corzine, seeking to ensure that independents and base voters alike turned out even if he wasn't on the ballot — and voters still rejected them. Thus, the losses were blots on Obama's political standing to a certain degree and suggested potential problems ahead as he seeks to achieve his policy goals, protect Democratic majorities in Congress and expand his party's grip on governors' seats next fall.
Source: Yahoo News
The leading indicator will be how Blue Dog democrats respond to yesterday's election results, according to Glenn Reynolds:
The good news for Obama is that he doesn’t have to run for re-election for three more years, so he still has a chance to get his feet under him. But for Congress members facing elections in a year — including but not limited to the famous "blue-dog" Democrats — the lesson of this week is that Obama can’t save their seats if the public is unhappy (and, equally, that Obama probably can’t hurt them much, either). So what Obama wants is nice, but it’s what the voters in their districts want that will control.That makes Obama’s health-care "reform" package look iffy and his other big plans for remaking America look even iffier. With the hope having faded, enthusiasm for change seems much diminished. From a mythic figure, Obama has shrunk to an ordinary politician — and, so far, not an obviously deft one. It’ll be politics as usual from now on, and we can thank Obama, at least, for making politics-as-usual seem not so bad after all ...
Source: NY Post
