Obama beating Reagan?

This will likely drive some people over the edge. Recent polling indicates that
President Obama is in better shape politically today than Republican icon President
Ronald Reagan was at the same point in his first term.

That’s right. Obama at the midterm outpolls Ronald Reagan at this point in his presidency.

The National Journal/Congressional
Connection poll conducted with the Pew Research Center over Oct. 21-24
found that 47 percent of the public would like President Obama to run again in 2012.
While that number isn’t overwhelming, it certainly beats Reagan’s number in August
1982 — an underwhelming 36 percent, according to Gallup. At that point, 51
percent said Reagan should not run for reelection, and his numbers worsened after
the midterm elections that year.

Of course, we all know, President Reagan won reelection in 1984 despite these troublesome
early numbers.

So what does it mean for President Obama at this point? Well, not much, really.
Other than to say that the Tea Partiers and their leaders like Mitch McConnell may
be measuring the drapes at the White House a bit prematurely.

Reagan’s ability to turn around his political fortunes and win reelection relied
mostly on an economy that began to recover in 1983. President Obama, who like Reagan
inherited a terrible economy from his predecessor, still has the opportunity to
benefit from an economy that is already showing signs of recovery before he faces
voters in two years.

Even with gains in Congress this year, the Republicans are sticking to their same
playbook of moving America backward. In order to beat Obama in 2012 they need the
economy to remain in recession. In order to win, they need you to lose your job
or not find one. As they have been doing for the past two years, the Republicans
will continue to root for America to fail and for the economy to tank so they can
win an election.

In a telling comment about the next two years, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell
(Ky.) this week told National Journal:
“The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be
a one-term president.” McConnell’s idea of “achievement” illustrates everything
that’s wrong with the Republican Party. For Republicans, it’s not about creating
jobs; not about economic recovery or security; not about creating better educational
opportunities.

For Republicans, it’s about partisanship over solutions — obstructing progress in
the hopes of winning electoral victories. When they win like this, America loses.
Mitch McConnell knows that 47 percent for the president does not mean he will not
be reelected. That’s why Mitch McConnell has no choice but to root for America to
fail, so he can succeed.