The Hill said it over four days ago, “Ebola has become the October surprise of this year’s midterm elections, with Democrats and Republicans doing battle over everything from restrictions on travel to the disposal of a victim’s remains.”
ABC followed suit soon after and now it’s leading the news around the states, from Georgia, “Georgia is Ground Zero in Ebola debate” to last night’s debate in Iowa, “Candidates grab Ebola as a new campaign issue” and beyond. In the political press, headline after headline is putting Ebola front and center in this year’s mid-term elections.
Both sides now seem to be advocating for a travel ban, putting Obama at odds with his party and in an unpopular position with the public yet once again. State governors have been vocal too, with both Perry of Texas and Kasich of Ohio now coming out for restrictions.
Republican Joni Ernst and Democrat Bruce Braley both spoke favorably of travel bans from the West African countries where Ebola is rampant, as well as traveler screening and support for research and prevention. Ernst called for increased aid in Africa, and Braley advocated better hospital protocols in the United States.
Meanwhile, everyone in and out of the media seems to agree that Obama’s Center for Disease Control blew the early response and messaging, with Obama said to be “seething” behind the scenes. Unfortunately for the already unpopular president, no amount of anger, public or private, will likely reverse the public’s growing perception of an increasingly failed presidency.
At this rate, the narrative forming around America’s Ebola outbreak and its ongoing news worthiness positions the issue perfectly for Republicans to use to embody all of the negative sentiment already surrounding the administration. And with Democrats playing, too, it’s more than fair game just weeks before the election.
Add that to Democrat Obama’s already disastrous numbers and Ebola may prove to be the final tipping point in dragging down even more of his party’s candidates as frustrated, angry and now some fearful voters hit the ballot box in November.
With nearly ever expert warning of more cases soon to come, just over two weeks is likely not enough time to turn it around. Most believe the Ebola outbreak in America is going to get worse before it gets better. As a result, that’s now very likely true of Democrat’s election prospects, as well.