The Law of Change

Even America's liberal elites concede
that Obama's Presidency is crumbling

By Nile Gardiner
Last updated: September 8th, 2010

Democrats in Congress are no longer asking themselves whether
this is going to be a bad election year for them and their party.

They are asking whether it is going to be a disaster.

The GOP pushed deep into Democratic-held territory over the summer, to the point where the party is well within range of
picking up the 39 seats it would need to take control of the House.

Overall, as many as 80 House seats could be at risk, and fewer
than a dozen of these are held by Republicans.

Political handicappers now say it is conceivable that the
Republicans could also win the 10 seats they need to take back
the Senate. Not since 1930 has the House changed hands without
the Senate following suit.

Is this a piece from National Review, The Weekly Standard, The
Wall Street Journal or Fox News.com, all major conservative news outlets in the United States? No.

It’s a direct quote from yesterday’s Washington Post, usually
viewed by conservatives as a flagship of the liberal establishment inside the Beltway.

The fact The Post is reporting that not only could Republicans
sweep the House of Representatives this November, but may
even take the Senate as well, is a reflection of just how far the mainstream, overwhelmingly left-of-centre US media has moved
in the last month towards acknowledging the scale of the crisis facing the White House.

To its credit, The Washington Post has generally been ahead of
the curve compared to its main competitors such as The New York
Times in reporting President Obama’s travails, but its striking
front page coverage of the “Democrats’ plight” and talk of a
possible GOP Senate win (regarded as fantasy just a fortnight ago)
was a bold step for a publication that is probably read in every
office of the Obama administration.

The Post also ran another headline yesterday on its front page – “Republicans making gains ahead of midterm elections” – which would undoubtedly have sent a shudder through the White House.

It carried a new poll commissioned jointly with ABC News,
which showed public faith in Barack Obama’s leadership has
fallen to an all-time low, with just 46 percent approval.

The Washington Post-ABC News survey revealed high levels
of public unease with President Obama’s handling of the
economy, with 57 percent of Americans disapproving, and
58 percent critical of his handling of the deficit.

For most of the year, America’s political and media elites,
including the Obama team itself, have touted the notion of
an economic recovery (which never materialised), significantly underestimated the rise of the Tea Party movement, and
questioned the notion that conservatism was sweeping America.

It is only now hitting home just how close Washington is to experiencing a political revolution in November that will fundamentally change the political landscape on Capitol Hill,
with huge implications for the Obama presidency.

What was once a perspective confined largely to Fox News, online conservative news sites, or talk radio is now gaining ground in the liberal US print media as well – historic change is coming to America, though not quite the version promised by Barack Obama.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100052779/even-a
mericas-liberal-elites-concede-that-obamas-presidency-is-crumbling/