Amidst terrible polling data and an unpopular health care law that isn’t helping millions of Americans, nervous Democrats -- is there any other way to describe them? -- are in full blown panic mode. At a meeting on the hill on Monday, House chiefs-of-staff and their aides met to discuss strategy and tactics. The mood was reportedly very tense, and most of the anger and hostility was directed towards you-know-who:
President Obama’s relationship with congressional Democrats has worsened to an unprecedented low, Democratic aides say.
They are letting it be known that House and Senate Democrats are increasingly frustrated, bitter and angry with the White House over ObamaCare’s botched rollout, and that the president’s mea culpa in a news conference last week failed to soothe any ill will.
Sources who attended a meeting of House chiefs of staff on Monday say the room was seething with anger over the immense damage being done to the Democratic Party and talk was of scrapping rollout events for the Affordable Care Act.
“Here we are, we’re supposed to be selling this to people, and it’s all screwed up,” one chief of staff ranted. “This either gets fixed or this could be the demise of the Democratic Party.
“It’s probably the worst I’ve ever seen it,” the aide said of the recent mood on Capitol Hill. “It’s bad. It’s really bad.”
Yes, but how bad? To put things in perspective, a plurality of voters (49/45) now wish they could go back in time and elect Mitt Romney president of the United States. (We knew this day would come). Also, according to a new CBS News poll, Obama’s approval rating has dropped nine percentage points over the past 30 days, hovering at a paltry 37 percent. Support for the Affordable Care act is even lower at 31 percent. Have we reached a tipping point?
Skeptical that OCare cld be scrapped w D support? Just read these D quotes and it's just November http://t.co/ulXG6FTwAo
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) November 20, 2013
We’re not there yet. But Obama is starting to experience something former President George W. Bush is probably quite familiar with: ostracism. In short, Democrats don’t want him around when election season heats up:
The White House hasn’t indicated just how much Obama will help campaign for those who are up for reelection next year. The president, who has been attending a string of fundraisers in recent days — including a West Coast check-collecting trip this weekend — is expected to help lawmakers and both campaign committees throughout 2014.
But as the healthcare problems continue to persist, lawmakers in swing districts aren’t sure that’s the best idea, especially because, according to one Democrat, “systemically you have what is a long-term problem.”
“It wouldn’t be helpful,” the Senate aide said. “Maybe he can help raise some money for Democrats, but that’s the extent of it.”
Burn. Remember, the president will never face voters again, but if his caucus suffers devastating losses in next year’s midterm elections, his second term agenda will be finished. He needs at the very least to keep the upper chamber blue if he hopes to pass comprehensive immigration reform (i.e., mass amnesty) or any other pet project on his bucket list. Otherwise, his lame-duck presidency will commence two full years before he wants it to.