POLITICS UPDATE:
Even the mainstream media folks at NBC agree that this has been a rough week for Democrats:
"Simply put, this has been a rough week for Democrats. They now have a competitive Senate primary in Arkansas, which makes the party's chances of holding the Arkansas Senate seat look even less likely. Rep. Charlie Rangel had to step down as Ways and Means Committee chairman due to ethics problems. Rep. Eric Massa announced he was retiring, and no matter the reason, it gives Republicans an excellent pick-up opportunity in that Upstate New York district -- and also cements the "ethics problems hurting Democrats" storyline. And the capstone: Last night, we learned that Rep. William Delahunt is retiring, putting another Democratic House seat up for grabs (although Dems have a much better chance of holding on to that seat than Massa’s)."
The thinking still seems to be that passing health care makes everything better for Dems. But how does passing an unpopular bill make everything better?
This kind of silly move won't improve Democrats' fortunes:
"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is catching heat for portraying Friday's labor report showing 36,000 jobs were lost in February as "really good" news. "Today is a big day in America. Only 36,000 people lost their jobs today, which is really good," Reid said Friday on the Senate floor. Republicans drew attention to the remark, which was captured in a YouTube clip, while bloggers railed against the Nevada Democrat."
Imagine the uproar among Democrats and liberals if a Republican had suggested that a month in which thousands lost their jobs was a "really good" month.
And by the way, don't forget about this: in a recent Ipsos/McClatchy poll, which on the whole was kind to Democrats, the public's mood on the right track/wrong track numbers still wasn't good. Only 34% of those polled believed the country is on the right track. 60% see it as still on the wrong track. And that's after over a year now of President Obama. Surely he doesn't escape blame, then, in the peoples' mind, for the state of things. Something to remember as the 2010 elections draw nearer.
