According to the below article from Business Insider, whatever advantages Democrats may have had after the recent government shutdown leading into next year's Congressional elections have not only been wiped out, but pretty much reversed.
In October, Democrats had an eight-point generic advantage (50-42), according to a poll cited in the article (CNN-ORC International poll); however, that lead was wiped out about a month ago, when Republicans led by two points, 49-47; now, Republicans lead Democrats by five, 49-44. (That's a negative 13 point swing against the Democrats in just a couple of months. Ouch.)
http://finance.yahoo.com/...
This is not a great way for Democrats to start 2014. Especially since the same Tea Party sugar daddies from 2010 are likely awaiting the opportunity to, once again, throw billions of dollars around to create the appearance of another “grassroots” uprising, as they did in 2010.
This is not intended to be a “concern troll” diary, though some may take it as such. It is intended to put things into perspective, in the hopes that we can do something to prevent a complete blowout in November. The last thing Democrats and progressives need is for a Republican sweep, where Republicans take the Senate, increase their lead in the House and keep all of their anti-human, pro-ALEC governors in place to continue to kill off workers rights, give more money and power to the wealthy elites and prevent people from voting. President Obama would be one of the lamest of lame ducks under that scenario, spending the last two years of his term fending off constant attempts by Republicans to screw the American people and Congressional harassment across-the-board. (Not to mention that such a scenario would also give Republicans momentum heading into 2016.)
Hopefully, Democrats have hit rock bottom and Republicans have peaked. If so, we might have a chance to do something to prevent a blowout.
While it would be great to hope for the best and for Democrats to win back the House of Representatives next fall, it seems to me that our best case scenario, based on the current situation, would be to just hold onto the Senate.
My guess is that the whole ball of wax will likely come down to whether the 2014 elections are primarily about Obamacare or whether they are about economic fairness. If Republicans can make the 2014 elections a referendum on Obamacare and the troubles it's faced, they will likely have a successful year. If, however, Democrats can blunt those concerns about Obamacare and make economic fairness the primary issue on the minds of voters next fall, we might have a chance of not only holding the Senate but picking up some seats in the House and some governor's mansions.
So...what can we do now to help pave the way so that when voters go to the polls next November, they are focused on electing folks who will fight for a more even economic playing field?
As several diarists have pointed out, things like raising the minimum wage, extending unemployment benefits and protecting so-called “entitlement programs” from Republican assaults (such as Social Security and Medicare), seem, at this point in time, to be the key issues that Democrats can run on to help our cause. In my opinion, focusing attention on Republican efforts to disenfranchise voters can help, as well, at least in some key states (FL, NC, OH, TX, WI).
First and foremost, it seems to me that we Democrats need to start turning things around as far as public perceptions regarding Obamacare. If we don't accomplish that, the game's pretty much over.
To my way of thinking there are four major problems we currently face: a) Negative perceptions about Obamacare; b) The possibility of poor turnout by our core constituencies; c) Massive amounts of so-called "third party" money from from right-wingers; c) Poor presidential approval ratings.
So...how do we start turning things around? Any other ideas?
(* On reflection, the headline looks more like a sports score than a political headline...but...will leave it that way as it sort of adds a bit of subtle humor.)