President Barack Obama is facing a problem with public confidence in his abilities, but Democrats seeking midterm re-election are the ones most worried about it.
The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza noted Monday that Obama campaigned in 2008 on restoring competence to government by putting the most qualified person in every position.
But a series of events, including the VA scandal, the border crisis, Ukraine and National Security Agency spying have shown him to be weaker in the competence area than he promised, Cillizza says.
A CNN poll released Sunday showed that only 42 percent surveyed think Obama "can manage the government effectively." Fifty-seven percent said he cannot.
The same poll found that more than three-fourths of Americans felt Obama was competent in late 2009, but his ratings have slid steadily since.
Cillizza says this is worrisome for Democrats in November because more midterm voters are likely to be older than when Obama was re-elected in 2012. Also, 70 percent of white voters don't think Obama can effectively manage government. Sixty-two percent of people age 50 and older feel the same way.
If Republicans can link Democrats in close races to the president, they stand a good chance of taking over the Senate. Republicans currently hold 45 of the 100 seats, so a six-seat turnover would give them control.
Republicans have been doing just that with the unpopular Obamacare law. Democratic senators, such as Louisiana's Mary Landrieu and Nebraska's Ben Nelson, made deals for their pro-Obamacare votes. Nelson has since retired, but Landrieu is among Democrats now trying to distance themselves from the president.
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