There is a lot of discussion as pundits try to read the tea leaves to determine the margin of Republican victory in the upcoming election. One leading indicator tells me that it will be an unprecedented Republican wipe-out. That indicator is the fact that President Obama will spent time this Friday in Delaware campaigning for the Democratic Senatorial candidate and "bearded Marxist," Chris Coons.
According to polls in this difficult year for Democrats, Coons leads O'Donnell by sixteen to nineteen percentage points. With only three weeks left in the race, facing a flawed Republican, Coons doesn't look to need any help. Since many Democrats do need help, why is Obama visiting Coons?
I have a theory. With Democratic Party candidates distancing themselves from Obama in the face of a Republican landslide, the administration has moved on to damage control. The President is carefully targeting the few races where a Democratic win looks likely. That way, in the smoldering ruins of the 2010 election, he will be able to claim that the Democrats lost because they ran away from him. He will point to winning candidates like Chris Coons who "embraced" his support as evidence.
It's the strategy of someone who expects to get his ass kicked.
