Democrats realize they face serious problems holding on to seats in both the House and Senate as the 2010 mid-term elections approach so they plan on turning old themes: George W. Bush is the devil and Republicans teamed up with Wall Street to create the worst recession since the Great Depression.
What remains to be seen is whether or not the American voter buys into the line at a time when polls show the public blames both parties for the nation’s economic woes and President Barack Obama’s popularity is wearing thin.
The coming year may not be the best time to be a Democrat. Retirement announcements have left 11 Democratic seats in the House up for grabs and the list could grow over the coming months.
Four Democratic Senate seats may be in trouble, including Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Chris Dodd, a five-term Senator from Connecticut. Obama’s former seat in Illinois and Vice President Joe Biden’s old seat in Delaware are also considered vulnerable.
To make matters worse, a freshman Democrat from Alabama — Rep. Parker Griffith — jumped to the Republican Party over the Christmas holiday break, saying “I can no longer align myself with a party that continues to pursue legislation that is bad for our county, hurts our economy, and drives us further and further into debt.”
Democrats currently hold a 257-178 majority in the House and 58-40 in the Senate plus two independents who normally align themselves on the left side of the aisle.
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