Things are not looking good for US Democrats just weeks before the midterm Congressional elections as experts expect Republicans to overtake the Senate and render the president a lame duck.
The political landscape is gloomy for the Democrats as millions of Americans are still out of work and a large chunk of Americans fret over the country’s general direction six years into a Democratic administration.
Indeed, while last week saw the US unemployment rate drop to its lowest in six years, much of the slide was because millions of Americans have stopped seeking full-time jobs, as the jobless rate is calculated based on the number of people actively seeking jobs.
Moreover, major election forecasting models give clear advantage to the Republican Party (GOP), which needs six seats to retake the Senate majority. The Washington Post’s Election Lab on Monday put the GOP way ahead, with a 78 percent chance of clinching the Senate, and the New York Times showed a 61 percent chance of the GOP gaining a Senate majority.
Election watchers and pundits are also paying close attention to how Americans view the direction of the country, as well as President Obama’s approval rating. Both bode ill for Democrats, with 65 percent of Americans believing the country is on the wrong track, and the latter at a mere 43 percent, according to the latest Real Clear Politics poll average.
If those numbers translate into a major shakeup that shifts Senate control to the GOP, Obama will have little power in his remaining two years in office to push through any of his initiatives, such as his years-long promise to enact comprehensive reform.
“Obama will become a lame duck if Republicans regain control of the Senate,” Brookings Institution's senior fellow Darrell West said. “Having majority control would allow (Republicans) to stop nominations they don’t like and veto bills they don’t want passed. Obama would have presidential veto power but that would only help him play defense, not offense.”
However, one concern the Republicans have now is that Democrats have more cash on hand for the ground game — being able to galvanize their base and get them out to the ballot box.
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Courtesy: Xinhua
