GOP Ready to Ride Midterm Election Wave

The Hill newspaper and CBS News have both released new polls that suggest Republicans are well positioned take to control of the House.

On Wednesday's Washington Unplugged, The Hill's Managing Editor Bob Cusack told CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante that Democrats are pushing an agenda that even there supporters aren't fully behind.

"The two big triumphs of the Obama administration [are] the stimulus, but the unemployment rate is at 9.6 percent. Healthcare reform, one in four Democrats favor repealing the healthcare law. Democrats have a tough message."

The Hill is suggesting there may be an "election wave" coming, but it's a role reversal from elections past, since Democrats benefited in 2006 and 2008.

"This will be the third wave in a row but this time for the Republicans," Cusack said. "Unemployment, the economy is raging, voters are very upset about that and also the healthcare reform laws."

November 2nd is looming like a black cloud for Democrats, with even candidates like Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) starting to sweat.

"He's a favorite to win, but he's got to raise a lot of money," Cusack told Plante of Frank. "He just loaned his campaign $200,000. And he raises so much money because he's a chairman, but yet he feels the heat that's coming."

The bottom line from Cusack is that the picture isn't good for Democrats.

"It's going to be very difficult for Democrats to retain the House," he said. "It just looks grimmer and grimmer for them."

CBSNews.com's Brian Montopoli discussed CBS News' poll which has Obama backers in 2008 relatively unenthusiastic when it comes to this year's midterms.

"This is the problem that Democrats have across the board. You've got, with these Obama voters, two in three say they're less enthusiastic to vote this year than they were in 2008, and that means people staying home," he said.

The President has spent much of the month of October trying to reenergize the voters that helped him two years ago.

"If you look at what they president's been doing, he's been going to try to get the people who came out for him in 2008 to come out," Montopoli told Plante. "We're talking about Hispanics, a lot of the independents who supported him, first time voters -- and a lot of them are young voters. He's been going to college campuses. He'll be appearing on the Daily Show next week."

The discussion soon turned to whether the president's appearance on the Daily Show next Wednesday will make a difference in the midterms.

I think it will help," Cusack said. "Obviously, he's doing it right before the elections. He needs to fire up the voters. There's no way he's going to get the amount of young voters that came out for President Obama in 2008, but he needs to get enough of them so he can at least retain one chamber of Congress."

Watch Wednesday's Washington Unplugged above, also featuring Nobel Prize laureate Joseph Stiglitz discussing his book Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy and former Marine SSgt. Rob Kugler with an inspiring story that began with a letter from the brother he lost in Iraq.

"Washington Unplugged," CBSNews.com's exclusive daily politics Webshow, appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 12:30 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.

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Lauren Seifert is an associate producer for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. For more Washington Unplugged, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

[Justvoting]

Many Americans can imagine Americans finding ?a peace of mind? in ?the familiar? during these difficult times. And in many House, and Senates races, the Democratic incumbents are the ?the familiar? names.

Many voters will imagine reelecting DEM incumbents as the best investments towards that ?balanced approach? for the culture of average, everyday Americans!

This Election is a time to ?renew our votes? so to speak, as well as a time to refrain from ?throwing the baby out with the bathwater? so as to avoid letting that 800 pound (GOP) Elephant in the house.

[realist51]

ride the wave and do what? NOthing, they have always been the the party of do nothing, don't forget that when republicant's had control of all three branches taxcuts were shoved down the peoples throats 2 wars were forced upon us through lies and deceit. corperate welfare for the drug and insurance industries an unfunded education program TARP the finall gift to wall st from bush. none of which did any good for america or its people. yet when change came everybody turned there backs we do have a healh care reform, there has been a wall st reform bill passed sadly these bills were not as strong as they should have been, the stimulus bill provided 280 billion in tax cuts yet senate republicans are whining to extend the bush cuts and increase the deficit by another 4 trillion were are they going to cut 4 trillion in spending? so aghain what are they going to do. the same as they always have NOthing! nothing like voting for nothing. as far as unemployment. whats the private sector going to do? wall st is at over 11 under bush at the same level unemployment was 4.8% so really vote for more corperate people? on january 1 if the republicans take control is unemployment going to suddenly go back to 4%? is your employer going to come up to you and say hey here's another dollar an hour and by the way you no longer have to pay for your insurance. and weve hired another bunch of employee's at a living wage so you don't have to work sixty hours a week to survive. NO none of that will or has happen. too in response to one of the previous posts. I received my first pay raise that put me at a level for the first time since 2000. wages went down the whole time the repubs were in office wages went up the whole time under clinton and now under obama.

[Beyrak]

Our government is of the people, for the people and answers to the people. Presently the Democrats and RINO's are answering to the people and we don't like what we are hearing. This November the people and the TEA Party movement will hold them accountable!

And being from Kentucky, my wife and I will proudly cast our votes for Rand Paul.

[JV1970]

I predict there will be a huge howl sounding from the Democrats on election night! They will be on their floors screaming and kicking and throwing tantrums like spoiled two year olds who didn't get their way! It will be a joy to go to my computer and read all of the whining, crybaby comments! In responce to them I'll be laughing and gleefully typing "I TOLD YOU SO! I TOLD YOU SO! I! - TOLD! - YOU! - SO!"

[the74blaster]

Well, the problem is we reward failure here in the U.S.

CEOs get huge golden parachutes when they bankrupt thier employers.

Congressional members who say NO and refuse to engage in bipartisanship with the majority part get elected for not doing thier job.

The GOP who rang up 3 trillion dollars on Iraq with no tangible return for the taxpayers are considered fiscally responsible.

So my question is this what everyone refers to as an exampe of "the dumbing down of America"?

So why are we even considering the GOP after the economic mess they created with their deregulation?

[JV1970]

meboard It's a different world than in 2005 and 2008. People are in a different political mood. They want change and they want it now! Obama promised change but he hasn't delivered what he promised. Most people, like me, haven't received a raise in over two years but our debts keep going up. The unemployment rate is now over 9% and rising. Our credit card rates keep going up. Even though I personally saw Obama for the con man that he is and voted for McCain, many people believed in him and believed his promises. They are now disappointed because they haven't seen any change in their personal situations. They are tired of it! All the polls have most of the Republican candidates running either even with or ahead of the Democrats.

[noloyalisti]

The fact that there could even be a chance a criminal Republican could get into office after what they have done to America is an indictment of just how fat, lazy, selfish and uneducated we are as a county.

[retm-w]

Not how fat,lazy,selfish and uneducated people are, neither side has anything to offer in the way of the economy and employment, the two most important things to the majority of the people. All I've seen from either side is gutter politics, I have yet to see one that runs on their accomplishments or what they are going to do to solve the problems.

[RobAla]

The new HOPE and CHANGE: I HOPE there will a huge CHANGE in the House and Senate after the November 2010 election.

[noloyalisti]

We better pray that everyone goes out to vote to keep the Republicans out. Otherwise we will have more war, more big government (or even worse fascist corporate power) and less freedom. The rich will have even more and we will be drinking dirty water, breathing dirty air and eating tainted food. Oh and forget about having civil and minority rights, social security and medicare.

[1renegade]

I suppose you think that the Democrats are the only way for the country to be governed by??? My friend time for a reality check. Regardless of what you may carry beside your name (D or R) do you really think that one party or the other has single handedly brought the country into the state its in now??? We the people have allowed politicians to run amuck for decades. Now everyone wants to blame one party for all?? What part of Fairyland have you been to?? We need people without some stupid agenda, or a single idea that will head the country in the direction we should be going.

[retm-w]

FEAR MONGERING same as you libs accuse the repubs of doing.

[toridorio]

Yes, If money can buy an election AND our Democracy than it will be a big win for Republicans but a big loss for the country. The big gainers will be Insurance company's, Wall Street, Very large corporations and of Course the Chamber of Commerce who is supporting outsourcing of American jobs and getting paid big money for that support.

[retm-w]

Seems the dems are doing their best to buy the election, and their even using the taxpayers money to do it. What do you think it cost the taxpayers for obama his wife and biden to fly around the country campaigning.