You have to hand it to the White House: It is at least consistent in sending the absolutely wrong message to voters pondering whether to keep Democrats in control of Congress in the coming midterm election.
Even the body language is all wrong.
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs mocked Sarah Plain’s crib notes on the palm of her hand. The next day, President Obama told Business Week that he didn't begrudge gazillion-dollar bonuses for executives of banks that U.S. taxpayers rescued.
That’ll all play real well in battleground congressional districts, where incumbents and hopefuls are trying to define a message and a plan to win back independent voters and conservative Democrats who have surged away from them in recent polls.
Poll-aggregator Real-Clear Politics’ average on the generic ballot shows Republicans ahead of Democrats, 46 percent to 42 percent. That is one big red flag for the party in power as the midterms approach.
Independent voters may not vote for Sarah Palin, but the White House does itself a disservice by making fun of her; Main Street voters have a lot more respect for someone who uses crib notes (something they might do) over someone who uses a teleprompter in a sixth-grade class room (something they would never do, but that Obama did recently).
Races always swing in one of two very different ways: left versus right (ideological) or inside versus outside (disconnected).
This year’s midterms are all about disconnection, which is why the consistently inconsistent message from the White House lends no support to Democrats.
You need look no further than all of Pennsylvania’s U.S. House races – especially with the death of Rep. Jack Murtha in a sprawling, Republican-trending district.
"As Chris Cillizza noted on last Monday "Murtha's death makes Pennsylvania perhaps the most competitive state in the country when it comes to the battle for the House," says Villanova University political science professor. Lara Brown.
Republican campaign committees plan on targeting Pennsylvania’s 4th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th and 12th districts, while Democrats see opportunity in the 6th and 15th districts.
Having more than 25 percent of the congressional districts (the 7th, 12th, 11th, 6th and 15th) highly competitive (rated “toss-ups” or “leaning” by CQPolitics) and 20 percent (the 3rd, 4th, 8th and 10th) seriously contested (rated “likely” by CQPolitics) means Pennsylvania is likely to see more action than any other state.