Obama: Forget Bush's Playbook

But Congress, as ever, is even worse

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s approval rating dips to a new low in the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll . Just 43% approve of the job the president is doing, while 54% disapprove—including one-third of Democrats. Obama’s supporters aren’t very enthusiastic, either: Twice as many people gave him a strongly negative rating as gave a strongly positive one. More»

Steve King, Louie Gohmert not far behind among fringe congressmen

(NEWSER) - A week after releasing its Senate Wingnut Index , the Daily Beast investigates wingnuttery in the House. Using a “semi-scientific” process to identify the most extreme members on both sides of the spectrum, the site ranks them:

1. Michele Bachmann (R-MN): From calling the president “anti-American” to warning of tyranny, “Bachmann has become a symbol of all things Wingnutty in American politics.”

But Republican backers are more likely to vote

(NEWSER) - It's good news/bad news time, Democrats. Bad news: The public doesn’t much like you. In fact, a whopping 60% disapprove of the job you’re doing in the latest AP poll. Good news: They dislike Republicans even more; 68% disapprove of them, and Sarah Palin and George W. Bush are viewed significantly more negatively than President Obama. But more bad news: The people who dislike Democrats are more likely to actually vote. More»

Parallels to last time comprehensive legislation died are stark

(NEWSER) - Even a cursory look at Democrats’ activity on health care reform brings back clear memories of their 1994 failure to pass comprehensive legislation. For instance, write Carrie Budoff Brown and Chris Frates, “the same people who spent months arguing that reform had to be jammed through quickly” are now in “slow-walk mode,” focusing on midterm elections—just like 16 years ago. “There’s no such thing as ‘Let’s take a pause in legislating so that we can gain momentum,’” cautions a veteran of 1994. More»

Liberal base could make life hard for incumbents, and others

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s decision on the Afghan troop surge is throwing a big monkey wrench into the campaigns of some Democrats, who must now walk the line between an exasperated liberal base and the approval of the White House. Support for the surge is being wielded like a cudgel by primary challengers and Republicans alike. Either way, “the base is disappointed by this decision,” an activist tells Politico . “I think this, at best, could be trouble for Democratic candidates in 2010.” More»