President Barack Obama's strategy for helping Democrats limit losses in November congressional elections boils down to this: tout the improving U.S. economy and pound Republicans for opposing his policies.
Administration officials recognize a difficult political environment for Democrats with a U.S. jobless rate of 9.9 percent and Americans in an anti-incumbent mood. And Democrats, who hold large majorities in the Senate and the House of Representatives, are braced for some losses in November.The party in power typically loses seats in Congress in the first election after a new president takes office. This year is expected to follow the historic trend.
Democrats believe they can stave off some of the nightmare scenarios being spelled out by political prognosticators. Some analysts believe they could lose control of Congress to the Republicans.
Jobs are being created again and key indicators point to an economy on the mend.
"Things are getting better. Our policies are working," said a senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There's a little more optimism out there, and that will help mitigate our losses and make this a traditional mid-term environment for the party in power."
Mindful that the elections are to some extent a referendum on his presidency, Obama is defending his actions.
On the road, Obama is telling crowds that policies he promoted that have proven unpopular with some Americans, such as a $787 billion economic stimulus measure and bailouts for banks and auto companies, are starting to pay off.
'ALL THE NAYSAYERS'
"Despite all the naysayers in Washington, who are always looking for the cloud in every silver lining, the fact is our economy is growing again," Obama said on Tuesday in Youngstown, Ohio.
He points to the creation in April of 290,000 jobs and the expectation that more are on the way.
And Obama is launching frequent attacks on Republicans. To vote for them, he says, would risk more political gridlock in Washington and make it harder to advance his agenda.
The idea is to make independent voters who voted for Obama in the 2008 presidential election but are now straying think twice about bringing Republicans back to power.
"They've done their best to gum up the works, to make things look broken, to say 'no' to every single thing," Obama told a Democratic fund-raising event in New York last week.
Democrats face a political headwind this year not just over the economy.
Some voters are upset by many aspects of the Obama agenda, such as a U.S. healthcare overhaul that they worry will increase costs but not care, higher government spending, rising deficits and the prospect of higher taxes.
Republicans see an opportunity to make big gains in Congress. They believe the Democrats were diverted from the main American concern -- jobs -- in favor of healthcare and other issues.
"The common thread in all of this is that the Democratic Party has lost the confidence of the American people who will, in turn, hold them accountable for their reckless spending and government takeovers in November," said Katie Wright, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are expected to travel steadily in the months leading up to the election, appearing at rallies and raising money.
The White House will have to look carefully at the political map to determine where Obama's message will resonate best.
For instance, Democrat Mark Critz won a House seat in a special election in Pennsylvania on Tuesday over Republican Tim Burns in part by voicing opposition to the Democrats' healthcare overhaul and energy legislation.
"There's no question that they're going to use the president where he's more popular," said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic strategist.
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