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In states key to Dems' 2008 win, the tide is changing By Peter Nicholas
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT) SEARCHLIGHT, Nev. — A commotion unfolds in the tiny public library here as the staff searches for a copy of the memoir written by "Has anyone seen Harry's book?" a librarian calls out. A local patron grabs a trash can and peers inside: "It's not where it's supposed to be," he says. In his hometown at least, there seems to be little affection for Reid, whom some residents describe as a distant figure out of touch with local concerns. That personal assessment may be part of the reason Reid faces a tough re-election fight in November despite 27 years in As they seek to retain control of Voters as a whole, rattled by continuing economic problems, tell pollsters they are disillusioned with incumbents — including Obama and congressional Democrats. Meanwhile, tensions within the Democratic coalition, muted during the presidential campaign, are sharpening as Obama's broad campaign promises to morph into specific proposals. And most ominous of all for Democratic prospects, the highly motivated swarms of young voters, Latinos and independents who made the difference between victory and defeat in 2008, now seem dispirited — while conservatives seem reinvigorated. In this challenging climate, the Obama administration is setting a policy agenda that could make the Democrats' problems even tougher — another bundle of divisive proposals that threaten to heighten tensions among the interest groups that supported the party last time. The cross-currents are plain in
Of the rising deficits, Steen said, standing outside a Then there is Embedded in every policy choice Obama faces in 2010 is just this sort of tension. Push through a jobs package that adds to the deficit, and the president may please supporters like Kelleher but anger conservative Democrats and independents like Steen. Plunge the People close to the
"If you do that, you create more political space to work on other problems, whether it's climate change, energy, immigration or war." But the strategy calls for a brisk timetable — Obama starts 2010 still struggling over health care legislation that many voters see as disconnected from what polls show is the central preoccupation of their lives — the economy. Closing the final deal on health care and getting on to other issues is at least several weeks away. And the protracted nature of the health care fight, beset as it has been by relentless Republican attacks and by divisions within the Democrats' own ranks, does not bode well for quick action on other legislation, including the promised jobs bill, immigration or climate change. How much patience voters will show is a question.
Divisions are also hardening over an issue important to organized labor known as "card check," a proposal to make union organizing easier. Obama supports the idea.
Phillipenas believes card check should be a priority. Unions help fortify the middle class, he says, and card check builds unions. Taylor frets that with unemployment so high, card check could amount to a costly digression. "Nothing else matters," said Taylor. "It's jobs, jobs, jobs." A similar divergence exists on immigration. In a recent conference call, White House Deputy chief of staff
Delaying could discourage Latino turnout. Already, a nationwide Daily Kos poll covering Yet many conservative Democrats and independents are less enthusiastic, and that tension is visible in As Reid "is in for a very, very tough race. And he needs every voting bloc he can possibly pull from. … In the political climate such as it is, (immigration reform) is something I would put on the back burner." Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
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Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
