I first mentioned it back on February 19th.
Election Day, 2009 is Barack Obama’s first report card.
From my post almost 9 months ago.
While approval ratings are intriguing to watch, elections actually carry with it a real message. If these two states, which both went solidly blue in ’08, switch to red — well, then Obama will know the real consequences of poor policy and bad governing.
But two new Republican Governors in blue states (albeit only one historically so) will send an even more powerful message to the GOP.
That message? You have a shot in 2010. People aren’t happy. And it’s time to do something about it.
This message will inspire the RNC and State Parties nationwide to push harder and faster for quality congressional candidates and the money necessary to win those states.
And this past weekend confirmed it. But it wasn’t Republicans pushing the expectations game the way I had hoped.
It was President Obama and Washington Post political dean David Broder.
Go figure.
The first key votes of the Obama era take place this week, not on the floor of the House or Senate, where health-care legislation still languishes, but in Virginia, New Jersey and northern New York state, where President Obama’s endorsements of threatened Democratic candidates will test his political clout a year after his own election.
Then these stories from Obama’s visit this weekend to New Jersey:
President Obama spent Sunday trying to convince New Jersey voters that a ballot cast for Jon Corzine, their less-than-popular Democratic governor, was a vote for him.
And this headline from Politico…
Obama puts prestige on line for Corzine
I know it’s strange to say, but didn’t the President learn anything from the Olympics fiasco?
Many assumed the Chicago Olympics were all but wrapped up when the President decided to travel to Amsterdam to give the final speech to the IOC selection committee. After all, why would the President take the chance of looking foolish in front of the global community? He had to have some inside information that it was in the bag, right?
Wrong.
And the political world is starting to get that same feeling now in New Jersey, Virginia, and New York’s 23rd district.
In late October, Obama rallies and commercials grew ever prevalent in the two gubernatorial races. As Deeds faded, Obama focused on New Jersey and made a call to pressure Dede to endorse the Democrat up in NY-23.
As evidenced by Broder’s column, Obama has foolishly enabled the ‘report card’ theme to take hold.
And come tomorrow, no matter how close these races are, Obama won’t be able to refute that two states which went solidly blue for him just one year ago, have quickly pushed him away.
