GOP Resurgence: Congress and the Presidency

Voices are a rumbling, especially in the Democrat sector of the spectrum. The recent data, which is fascinating to the more Conservative views and philosophers, is telling--more telling than before. The polling data has it showing a possible trend not just a year before the national election cycle for president, the House of Reps, and one-third of the Senate. So what are the data you say?

In the recent polling from all major research centers, the Republican party/candidate on the national level have pushed ahead favorably among the American voters who in 2006 and 2008, but not 2010, ousted a 16 year Republican dominance by near cataclysmic proportions. In a RCP poll, the Republicans have a very small lead on Democrats (+0.3%), Quinnipiac has them tied, and Rassmussen has Republican's at a 6-point lead. The trend, right, is a showing of the each party's favorability from Februrary 14 to October 12 of this year.

Is this strictly indicative of the rising ability of the Republican party to capture the Congressional seats enough to oust the Democrats from power? Not completely, while we are still so far from the election, it is possible that the Republican party can screw up and allow the Democrats to recapture their command in likability among voters. However, with the failings of the Stimulus packages, the controversial and problematic Affordable Health Care Act, the continuing rise in unemployment, the stock market erratic behavior, and the European bailout program for Greece is playing an insurmountable problem for the Democrats who command the Upper Chamber of Congress. With each passing moment that the Democrats (and Republicans) fail to address the problems of sever budget deficits and revenue shortfalls, the party has weakened its power and stance. In an article by Sean Trende from RealClear Politics, he rightfully posits that Republicans have the distinct upper hand in possible control of the Senate. With his analysis on the seat-by-seat, it is clear that the Democratic Party has an uphill battle that they may not win, no matter how much they attempt to corral their bases among the African-American voting populace--which did favor them in 2008. Yet, their lack-luster and failings to complete their dominance in early 2009 have weakened their buying power among their own. Seemingly so in the Presidency.

Barack Obama has a low approval rating, consistent with Bush-43's polling during the later years of his second term. With the approval ratings depressing so much after just three years, it is a wonder how the Democratic Party will function in the election cycle. A colleague of mine once suggested that the DNC would push, in essence, President Obama out of reelection and put the Clinton machine back in office. This would have drastic repercussions for the Republican party who could not deal a blow (oh so figuratively and literally) hard enough to challenge the Clinton Machine. In this respects, the Presidency would firmly rest back into the Democrats hands and possibly rectify any problems that would have been caused by the Obama Administration. If it were a choice, my choice would be to risk the Republican control of the Presidency for a far more competent Hillary Clinton. While she has Republican tendencies, she does have command of the Democrat base and would garner a large support from Republican social liberals. For what it's worth, Sec. Clinton will have to wait another round of elections to run for office, which she will most likely get if she does decide to run. With that, President Obama has a long and curvy road to traverse and will take almost all of his appeal, which is waning, to capture enough votes to defeat and not take this to the House of Reps for a deciding vote for the Presidency.