10 Keys for Democrats to Avoid Election Disaster

By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers

In recent elections, President Obama and his Democrats are just 1 for 4, having won only the New York House District 23 seat. Now suffering the biggest loss of all, Republican Scott Brown's election to fill the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts, many party leaders are looking for ways to avert a total election collapse in the fall midterms.

One key: fixing the economy and curbing unemployment. But there are several others, and in the debut of the Washington Whispers List, we explore the 10 plays Democrats need soon to sidestep the GOP wave. See a slide show of the list.

The List: 10 Keys to Avoiding Election Disaster

1. Move with haste to approve consumer-friendly financial reform that also punishes Wall Street greed. Chances? Likely.
2. While keeping inflation low, set in motion initiatives to improve the economy: Chances? Likely.
3. Figure out a way to boost employment while making sure to keep unemployment benefits steady. Chances: Good for bennies, bad for cutting unemployment.
4. Push through immigration reform that will tell Hispanics the party likes them by including elements like amnesty for illegal immigrants. Little chance of passage, however.
5. Come up with a more focused plan for Iraq and Afghanistan. We hear one is coming.
6. Finally make good on campaign promises and close Guantánamo Bay prison. Chances? Fifty-fifty.
7. Just do it: Pass healthcare reform. Chances are now about fifty-fifty with the loss of Edward M. Kennedy's Senate seat to reform foe Scott Brown.
8. Draft and approve a second stimulus bill focused on job creation. This is probable.
9. Take advantage of higher gas prices, and approve an energy bill. Alone, passage is likely; but liberals also want climate change restrictions on industry, and those are legislation killers.
10. President Obama should pack his bag for months on the campaign trail. Now, this is a sure thing.

• See a slide show of political predictions for 2010.

Reader Comments Read all comments (22)

Add Your Thoughts

Comment Name State Select One AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY International Email

Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image.

Incorrect please try again

Enter the words above: Enter the numbers you hear:

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.