Analysts: White House Panicking Over Elections

(CBS)  With many polls indicating the Republicans may win back control of the House of Representatives (and possibly the Senate as well) in the upcoming mid-term elections, Jim VandeHei, the executive editor of Politico, told CBS' "Face the Nation" that the Obama administration is in a horrible position.

"Does the White House understand this?" asked guest host Harry Smith. "Do you feel any sense of panic or concern" on the part of the administration?

"They get it. There's panic. There's concern," VandeHei said. "The reality for this administration stinks, politically and practically, when it comes to the economy. You're not going to be able to change that 9.6-percent unemployment figure. You can't get anything from Congress in the next couple of months."

CBS Congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes said the Democrats are distancing themselves from President Obama.

"Not only are they running away from President Obama, they're running away from being Democrats in some cases. In some races you actually see the Democratic candidates not really mentioning that they're a Democrat in their campaign ads," Cordes said.

Smith asked his guests to try to identify the source of the discontent: "From your experience on the Hill, have you heard any Democrats in private conversations say, 'You know what? We went down the wrong road. We went after health care. We went after so many other things on the Obama agenda as opposed to, in the end of the day, it's all about creating jobs?'"

"Not only have we heard that, but we've been hearing it for months," said Cordes. "We heard it during the health care debate that dragged on for a year when the economy was so bad; they focused on health care and they focused on financial regulation.

"Americans don't feel the impact of those pieces of legislation yet," she said. "There's a lot of frustration on Capitol Hill among Democrats who feel like the President led them down this path. They didn't all necessarily want to deal with health care. This was on the president's agenda, and then they felt like he kind of hung them out to dry."

"Not a single Democrat has run an ad in support of the health care bill since April," VandeHei noted.

Cordes pointed out that Democrats are very unhappy about Mr. Obama's speech last week, only the second Oval Office prime time address in his presidency.

"What does he talk about? Not the economy, but Iraq," Cordes said. "And they say, 'No, we need to own the economy. If you're going to use the power of your office to give a speech like that, talk about the economy."

VandeHei said the Republicans feel more powerful today than they've felt at any point in the last five or six years.

"On top of that, you have this enthusiasm gap that is killing Democrats. If you look at the polling data from Gallup and from others, it shows that Republicans are fired up about this election. The liberal Democrats are not. They're not enthusiastic about it. When you have races that are decided by a couple hundred votes, in a House that can be very, very close, that matters," VandeHei said.

He also suggested that Democrats are much more pessimistic than they were merely three or four weeks ago. He cited a recent Gallup poll that showed Republicans with a 10-point generic edge. "They've been polling for 60 years. We've not seen a number like that."

Cordes pointed out that predictions show the Republicans can win 45 to 50 seats in the House, and they only need 39 seats to take control.

But VandeHei offered a glimmer of hope for President Obama and the Democrats.

"It's never too late," he said. "Think about how fickle we are in everything in life now, whether it's the cell phone that we choose or what we think about politics or what we do in our daily life. People are fickle.

"I still think you can start to pull people back," VandeHei said. "At the end of the day, it has to be that Obama has to find that magic. How can he get liberals to be as excited about him and about Democratic change as they were two years ago?

Given suggestions that right-wing activists are more fired-up to support their candidates, VandeHei added, "I don't understand how liberals can sit at home and feel like Obama has not done enough for them. This has been a breathtakingly activist government for the last two years.

"Some day they're going to sit back and go, 'Wow, look at all they did!'"

[niner999]

Same old story.. when things go wrong there are more excuses and fingers pointing than one can count. The nation will be better off when it can fess up to the fact the wrong name or names were on the ballot in 2008. Simple as that. Like Dr Freud said to his admirers looking for meaning in smoke rings he was blowing... Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. We Americans have made a tragic choice ... and all the reasons are coming to the fore. Hopefully a new congress will cut his tails and cutrail his power until we can elect a truly qualified individual.

[nomosk]

I want to vote the dems out but when I see what the tea party is frothing at the mouth about I would have a very tough time bringing myself to vote for any of them. I guess it really doesn't matter anyhow, they are all scum bags who work for the corporations like Murdock and the Koch brothers. Ron Paul is the only politician I have any respect for but his own party doesn't like him. Both partys are no freaking good.

[niner999]

Same old story.. when things go wrong there are more excuses and fingers pointing than one can count. The nation will be better off when it can fess up to the fact the wrong name or names were on the ballot in 2008. Simple as that. Like Dr Freud said to his admirers looking for meaning in smoke rings he was blowing... Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. We Americans have made a tragic choice ... and all the reasons are coming to the fore. Hopefully a new congress will cut his tails and cutrail his power until we can elect a truly qualified individual.

[lbence-2009]

Health care to individuals who don't purchase their own health insurance should be limited to emergency care only. It should not cover pregnancy, transplants, etc. If you want high-quality medical care, GET A JOB and PAY FOR IT YOURSELF. I don't want to pay for anyone other than myself.

There should be NO medical services at all to anyone except those who can prove that they are LEGAL U.S. CITIZENS or LEGAL RESIDENTS. NO MORE ANCHOR BABIES!

[LadyLiberty1776]

According to President Obama?s 54 speeches on healthcare, there are 45.7 million people in the U.S. that do not have healthcare coverage. Consequently, however, a study done by the Urban Institute found that 20 million (out of the 45.7 million) have either voluntarily chosen to forgo health insurance (despite being able to afford it), or are eligible for Medicaid/SCHIP programs, but don?t bother to enroll. Furthermore, calculations from a 2007 census done by the Department of Health and Human Services revealed that 9.3 million, of the 45.7 million uninsured, are illegal aliens. If 9.3 million of the 45.7 million are illegal aliens, then technically only 36.4 million people can credibly be listed as uninsured Americans (45.7 million ? 9.3 million = 36.4 million).

To paint a better picture I have devised a three step equation and provided a simple solution to our country?s healthcare dilemma:

1.)

20 million (voluntarily uninsured or qualify for Medicaid/SCHIP, but don?t bother) + 9.3 million (illegal aliens) = 29.3 million (people who choose to forgo healthcare insurance, Medicaid/SCHIP, or are illegal aliens)

2.)

36.4 million ? 20 million (people who choose to forgo healthcare insurance Medicaid/SCHIP) = 16.4 million (Americans who cannot afford health insurance or do not qualify for Medicaid/SCHIP programs)

In reviewing the equation above, 20 million out of 36.4 million ?uninsured? Americans are happy without healthcare coverage. To be fair, an individual who willingly chooses to forgo healthcare coverage should not expect adequate healthcare treatment, unless all costs are paid for up front and out of pocket. As such, let?s focus on the 16.4 million people who need and want healthcare coverage.

Now, according to a 2009 poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, NPR, and the Harvard School of Health, the average health insurance premium is close to $400 a month for individuals.

3.)

16.4 million x $400 (average cost per month per individual for healthcare coverage) x 12 months = $78.7 billion (dollars needed per year to cover the 16.4 million Americans who cannot afford health insurance or do not qualify for Medicaid/SCHIP programs)

Fortunately, there are multiple programs that we could scale back, in an effort to redirect money towards the 16.4 million U.S. citizens who are involuntarily uninsured. For example, according to the Federation for Immigration Reform and the Department of Education, the total K-12 school expenses for illegal immigrants sets us back $11.9 billion annually. Moreover, under the 1982 Plyler v. Doe Supreme Court ruling, illegal alien students are at liberty to enroll in our public schools at the taxpayer?s expense. And they are entitled to participate in The National School Lunch Program, which includes a free breakfast, lunch and after school snack.

If the government simply required that a U.S. birth certificate be presented upon enrollment in public schools, then we wouldn?t run into the issue of educating non-citizens, and essentially we would save the U.S. and American taxpayers $11.9 billion each year.

Still, we fall $66.8 billion short (78.7 billion ? 11.9 billion = 66.8 billion) on paying for the 16.4 uninsured Americans.

Therefore, please post additional suggestions you have on ways that we can save our Country?s taxpayers hard earned money.

NOTE:
The good news is that there really aren?t 45.7 million Americans suffering without healthcare coverage. And $78.7 billion sounds a lot better that $219.36 billion, with regards to our healthcare dilemma.

45.7 x $400 x 12 = 219.36 billion

vs.

16.4 x $400 x 12 = $78.7 billion

The healthcare crisis is an excuse for Obama to raise taxes, however, to fix our healthcare system, we simply need to rediect money to the right places.

-LadyLiberty

[cosmotopper]

What sickens me is the realization that CBS News is so thoroughly biased in favor of this President.

I voted for him. Then I watched him betray about 95% of the promises he made: transparency, special interests, a bi-partisan effort to fix health care, then expand it; bi-partisan debate and public involvement in legislation; weeding out pork spending, the list goes on. Instead, we got a President who is seeking to transform this country into the USSA: the Union of Socialist States of America, and he's willing to precipitate another financial meltdown if necessary to accomplish it. I am very grateful to Secretary Clinton for making the statements she did yesterday apropos the damage which is being done by Mr. Obama's reckless borrowing and spending money we do not have.

I think we elected a President with a clinical personality disorder of the narcissistic kind, and the more American voters reject his perfect vision of what this country needs, the more unstable and dangerous he gets. I have reached the point where I can honestly say this country would be more secure if the cabinet were to relieve Mr. Obama under Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, and allow Joe Biden to serve out the remainder of his term. At least we'd have a President we know reveres the homeland we all share.

[akcoyote]

I didn't vote for BO but I do commend your analysis. How we ever elected a man that we KNOW so little about to the highest office in the world is beyond me. Whether or not you are for or against a republican congress, at the very least they will be able to put the brakes on this idiot's ideas.

[samraimi-2009]

This analysis would be laughable if it wasn't being spewed by so many. I didn't vote for Obama (I do not vote for Democrats or Republicans), but to single him out as a narcissist is silly. U.S. politics attracts the worst in our society, since all are basically shills for corporate america, and most are narcissists of one form or another.

Then your nonsense about the USSA? I'm a Marxist, and I can tell you that Obama has nothing socialist about him - he has continued and escalated the wars, helped pass and extend the multi-trillion dollar bailout to the Banks and Wall Street. Was the health-care bill not a big enough giveaway to insurance companies for you? Is a record number of deportations of undocumented workers not xenophobic enough for you? was the deal with GM that broke the UAW but bailed out the company without taking corporate control away from the failed bosses not anti-worker enough for you? Socialist? what a joke? He is a tool of capitalism pure and simple, both parties are , to the core. So wake up, stop lying and look at the evidence.

[JohnLindauer]

No wonder - the economy is in the tank with millions and millions of Americans losing their jobs and homes and numerous businesses cutting back and closing. For some strange reason his advisors thought that more government taxes and programs would turn things around. Nothing except major changes at the Federal Reserve and FDIC can accomplish a turn-around. The correct policies of expansion could occur literally within hours (hours, not days). They would involve major increases in liquidity and strong reminders that the Community Reinvestment regulations require banks to loan to their communities "or else."
Unfortunately, the president retained/promoted the Bush appointees who got us into this mess - sort of like Hoover retained his predecessor's appointees because he didn't realize their significance. Obama could save himself and the democrats with fast new appointments of knowledgeable macroeconomists. Unfortunately he probably won't.

[samraimi-2009]

No surprise with this:

Obama gets elected and acts like a center-right Republican: he continues the war in Iraq, escalates the war in Afghanistan, attacks Pakistan (a nation we are not at war at). He continues the bailout of the the banks and Wall Street (could have seen this coming, since he steered Bush's bailout thru when Bush couldn't). He passed fake health-care reform that was a billion-dollar giveaway to the insurance companies. he escalated the attacks on undocumented workers, and passed a stimulus that was a small token compared to the money given to the banks.

so Obama and the Dems alienated the people who worked to get them elected, with no chance of winning over the right wing, who, despite all the evidence, keep ranting that Obama is a radical lefty. no surprise that they are going to lose - that was their role, to distract for a while and make the Republicans see fresh.

SamR

[theuntouchable1]

He is in a tough spot. He didn't get there alone. It almost seems like he has been set up to fail.....

[ge556]

Almost? The Republicans are doing everything they can to make him fail.

TruthTeller

[samraimi-2009]

all you Democrats blaming Republicans and all you Republicans blaming Democrats - WHAT A BUNCH OF SUCKERS!

It all happened exactly as I predicted: Bush gets elected, runs to the right, acts decisive, screws the country. People look for something new, some change: elect the Dems and then Obama. Nothing changes, Obama runs to the right, Obama and the Dems act weak, now everyone is looking for something new again.

Both parties are owned by and work in the interests of the bosses, the banks, and wall street. Both attack workers and are pro-war and are racist. the two-party system is a game that suckers most americans into thinking we have a choice, that the government represents us at all. People just swing back and forth without realizing that the government works in the interest of the rich - the capitalists. The Republicans push their interests directly, while the Democrats distract us and pretend to support working people - they are supposed to be weak and indecisive and alienate their base once they get elected.

SamR

[the_truth_about]

Bush ran to the right? Other than two wars, he actually was one of the leftist republican Presidents ever. Bush spent the most of any president on entitlements. Bush pushed for economic redistribution of wealth with his "Homes for everyone" policy. Bush attempted to reform education with No Child Left Behind. Bush increased medicare and medicaid. He lowered taxes for everyone. He increased the size of federal government more than any other president. And he spent more on international humanitarian aid that any other since ww2.

[samraimi-2009]

left and right have nothing to big/small government. That's just something that a lot of liberals/conservatives in america buy into because corporate america has twisted the political spectrum here. The bosses and rich use the small government mantra to attack workers and social programs, and then ignore it when it comes to the war machine and restricting abortion or gay marriage. Reagan expanded the government like crazy, so what was he?

Here's the real breakdown, historically:

left: pro-worker
right: pro-boss, pro-bank, pro-wall street

given that, all Presidents, and both parties, represent the right.

NCLB was a push for testing and "accountability" - it was an attack on quality education and a miserable failure. Bush's housing program was a lie that allowed predatory banks to rip off sectors of working-class (particular people of color) america who were naive enough to think that the america dream was still alive (it isn't) and that it applied to them (it didn't)

[Overruled1]

Hey if you fools want to reelect the party that pushed America over the edge of economic disaster you just go ahead. This country is finished if you do.
This is the same party that raised no concerns about the former administrations wild spending spree that is greater than the total of all the former presidents combined before.
SHAME on AMERICA. SHAME. So easily manipulated. So easily lobbied our economic strength to foreign nations dedicated to our destruction, our treasury spent on BUSH's STUPID Wars.
This has effected far too many peoples.
I'm leaving this great land if GOP takes the house and senate because we have to jump a sinking ship or die in it.
It's just like the home values in America. Down down down..
All my friends who own homes have a choice of either paying for a house worthless than they paid or walking away.....would you pay or walk? I say do what the banks do......THEY RAN AWAY. Now if everyone does this, America is finished...Therfore we are nothing more than a military machine.

[votedforobama]

Bye,bye.

[samraimi-2009]

Obama and the Democrats are just as much a part of that war machine as Bush and the Republicans - they didn't bring any real change - just more Bush with a different face.