President Obama is trying to give a much-needed campaign boost to New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine. The president is stumping with the governor in South Jersey Thursday. The Democrat is trailing his Republican challenger, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, by double digits in most polls. Despite the fact that Corzine was an early supporter of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, Corzine was also an early booster of then-Senate candidate Barack Obama in 2004 when Corzine headed the DSCC. When it comes to not saying too much—Sonia Sotomayor is really good. Despite a GOP grilling on abortion and gun rights Wednesday, the high court nominee didn’t stray from the script. And heading into the final day of her confirmation hearings, Republicans have thus far failed to trip her up. Longtime Oklahoma Rep. Dan Boren knows how to win in GOP territory. His reputation as one of the most Conservative Democrats in the House has helped him consistently win reelection with upwards of 65 percent of the vote. It’s almost certainly why he launched a political assault on the president yesterday. Boren told an Oklahoma newspaper that not only is Obama “very unpopular” in his state and district, but the president is also “too liberal.” It certainly won’t make Boren any friends in the administration—not like he needs them to win reelection. As the debate over the administration’s proposed healthcare overhaul turns hyper-partisan, Democratic political strategist Robert Creamer writes on Huffington Post that Democratic fortunes in 2010 may hinge on the success of the effort. His argument: Dems in swing districts have the most to lose by not supporting the president’s plan…
Obama’s success in passing his agenda will have an enormous impact on his approval rating with the American people – and the approval rating of Congressional Democrats as well. When Swing District Democrats face the voters next year, those two factors will have a massive effect on whether they return to Congress
And a great post Wednesday from Micah Sifry on Organizing for America’s ramp up on the president’s healthcare push. Shane D’Aprile is senior editor at Politics magazine. sdaprile@politicsmagazine.com