Dems Who Supported Obama Paying the Price

Voting for Obama's agenda is a potential political career killer (from the Wall Street Journal):

Rep. Patrick Murphy, a fresh-faced rising Democratic star and loyal backer of President Barack Obama's agenda, is facing the fight of his life in a suburban Philadelphia district Mr. Obama won easily two years ago.

Across Pennsylvania, another Democrat, Rep. Jason Altmire, is competing in a district Republican John McCain took by a wide margin. Mr. Altmire is running away with it, by running away from the president.

In their contrasting fates lie broader lessons for the coming midterms: Live by the president and you could die by the president. Democrats who have been thorns in the president's side are doing well in some of the toughest districts for their party, from Alabama to the steel belt of western Pennsylvania. But swing-district Democrats who have voted with the president in Congress are struggling, even if they're now asserting their independence.

Mr. Altmire voted against the Obama health-care and climate-change bills. "My opponent is trying to tie me in with the speaker and with the leadership. That's pretty difficult to do," he said.

Not really. Although Altmire may win, the question every Democrat must be asked is if he or she voted for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker and would they do it again? Altmire did and that should automatically disqualify him for re-election.

Back in January Obama Rep. Marion Berry recounted a conversation he'd had during a meeting with Obama in which he expressed his worried that by forcing so-called Blue Dog Dems to support unpopular bills Obama was creating another 1994 situation in which many Dems would be ousted. Obama's response:

'Well, the big difference here and in '94 was you've got me.'

Well, they got you, babe, but the magic is gone and being associated with Obama will prove to be even more dangerous for Dems than the association with Clinton was in '94.