Americans now back to an even split over control of Congress - plurality favors another Obama term

[jefferson_dem]

Americans now back to an even split over control of Congress - and a plurality favors another Obama term
October 26, 2010 | 5:18 am

Not that you'd know it from President Obama's constant cross-country campaigning recently, but the Democrat is not on any ballot one week from today.

He has the luxury -- unlike so many fellow Democrats in Congress -- of looking longer term. And regardless of what happens in either or both houses on Capitol Hill on Nov. 2, from the bullet-proof windows of Obama's Oval Office things are looking pretty good, if you study the latest poll numbers and a little bit of history.

A pair of new Pew Research/National Journal Congressional Connection polls out last night belies all the talk of Republican voter enthusiasm and a political tsunami, which is politics for "early retirement."

One Pew survey shows American registered voters are evenly divided now about what would be better for the country -- a Republican-controlled Congress (32%), a Democrat-controlled Congress (32%) or makes no difference (30%). This appears to conflict with numerous generic congressional polls this fall showing a lopsided intention to vote for a Republican member of Congress.

Among next Tuesday's likely voters the numbers don't change that much -- 38%, 34% and 23%. So much it seems for all that 1894 talk.

As we wrote here earlier this month, whichever party controls either house, Obama is....

...well-situated politically. If Democrats maintain their control from the 2006 midterms, he will appear to have pulled off an upset and can drive his liberal legislative agenda. If Republicans win one or, less likely, both houses, he's got a 2012 whipping boy to blame for the ensuing two-year gridlock

<SNIP>

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/10/obama-approval-second-term.html

[democrat_patriot]

1. The only thing I can be happy about at the moment.

Obama is....

...well-situated politically. If Democrats maintain their control from the 2006 midterms, he will appear to have pulled off an upset and can drive his liberal legislative agenda. If Republicans win one or, less likely, both houses, he's got a 2012 whipping boy to blame for the ensuing two-year gridlock.