FROM BEYOND THE BELTWAY

The Democrats campaign to maintain control of the House and Senate got off to a rocky start in July.

For his part, Obama hit the campaign trail with the same old, stale message he has used the past 18 months. "The mess we are in is their fault. They ran the economy into the ditch". Blah blah, blah.

Then, in a rare moment of candor from this White House, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Meet the Press speculated that Democrats could lose control of the House of Representatives in November. When asked about his comment the next day, Gibbs said he had done something "VERY RARE IN WASHINGTON, I TOLD THE TRUTH."

This led speaker Pelosi to remark that she had never met Gibbs and he didn't know what he was talking about. Two days later Gibbs backed off and said he had "always" believed the Democrats would maintain control of the House.

Gibbs may have been right in the first place. A Washington Post / ABC poll shows 60 % of voters have lost faith in Obama. The number for Pelosi and the Congress is even lower. The poll shows deep dissatisfaction with out of control federal spending, the new healthcare law and efforts to stimulate the economy. One third of Democrats surveyed are unhappy with Obama's leadership.

In 2008, Independents overwhelmingly supported Obama. That has now been reversed. A clear majority of Independents are dissatisfied with the job Obama is doing.

The most important indicator for Republicans is the generic ballot. When asked if they will vote for a Republican or Democrat candidate for the House, Republicans come out on top by almost 10 points. Republican voters are also winning on the intensity scale with a stronger inclination to vote.

This is why Republican Senate candidates in three key states – Pennsylvania, Ohio and California – have suddenly jumped into the lead over their Democrat opponents.

The theme coming out of the White House is that Republicans want to go back to their old ways while Democrats will take us forward……forward over the cliff ? ? - keep in mind that the Democrats have already, in just the last nine months, added one trillion dollars to the Federal deficit - . They have clamped a strangle hold on job growth with threats of higher corporate taxes, cap and trade legislation and higher healthcare costs.

At the same time, two newly elected Republican Governors are giving the nation lessons in FISCAL LEADERSHIP. New Jersey's Governor, CHRIS CHRISTY is successfully fighting the Unions to balance the State budget. Virginia's Governor, BOB McDONNELL has turned the $ 1.8 Billion deficit inherited from a Democrat administration into a $ 200 Million surplus without a tax increase.

So, I'll place my bet on Gibbs' problematic, if unique, veracity against Pelosi's political interchange.