Democrats, Blaming This Guy Won't Help

President Obama and Democrats are harping on a new theme as the midterm elections approach: voting for Republicans is the same as voting for a return of the ruinous policies of George W. Bush. They're wasting their breath, writes Steve Kornacki for Salon. Democrats will get trounced no matter what they say or do because the economy is a mess right now, and "the electorate exists perpetually in the present tense."

Check your history books: This identical scenario played out in 1982, with the roles reversed. Ronald Reagan and Republicans did everything they could to link the country's economic troubles to Jimmy Carter, but they still got killed in the midterms. "The 'blame Bush' strategy won't work any better." Voters generally don't operate with "collective memory or foresight." Democrats are in trouble in November, "no matter how many times they bring up George W. Bush's name." (More Democrats stories.)