Yesterday at 2 PM the balance of power shifted in the House of Representatives. With that came a new set of challenges in furthering President Obama’s agenda. The general consensus seems to be that the 112th Congress will be one that will attempt to affect the outcome of the 2012 elections more than the lives of Americans through legislation.
As we have seen in the past few weeks with the successful passage of New START (!), the 9/11 first responders bill, and the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the President’s approval rating has jumped back up to 50 % – the highest we’ve seen in nearly seven months. It’s tempting to say that the rising approval rating bodes well for President Obama’s reelection chances. However, as Nate Silver points out in his 538 blog, presidential approval ratings at the midterm have very little correlation (okay well, maybe none at all) with the results of the following election.
Part of the lure of politics is the constant guessing game about election outcomes, and this far out from 2012, it seems that most are holding off on putting out their predictions (or projections, as some prefer to call them).
One thing is for certain though – we will see the same incredible highs and lows that come with every election cycle. And that is where the Council’s 2012 Election Center comes in. We’ll be here and posting the latest news and data right here for you.
Be sure to check back often – it’s only going to start getting more exciting.
