Obama Tries to Calm Fearful Democrats Ahead of Midterm Elections

Democrats convened on Thursday at a resort on Maryland’s Eastern Shore for a three-day strategy retreat, wherein President Barack Obama attempted to allay fears that his low approval ratings and unpopular Obamacare program may translate into sizable electoral losses come November.

“I just want to say thank you for all of you hanging in there tough onan issue that, I think, 10 years from now, five years from now, we’regoing to look back and say this [Obamacare] was a monumental achievement that couldnot have happened had it not been for this caucus,” Obama told Democrats.

Democrats up for reelection, however, do not have five to ten years to wait; elections will take place in 262 days on Nov. 4. Midterm elections historically favor the party not in the White House. Gallup data reveals that since 1946, president’s with approval ratings below 50% lose an average of 36 House seats. Presidents with approval ratings above 50% still lose an average of 14 seats. According to Gallup, just 40% of Americans approve of the job Obama is doing as president.

Democratic National Committee Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) sounded far less confident coming out of the Democratic meetings than she did in November when she vowed that “Democratic candidates will be able to run on Obamacare as an advantage leading into the 2014 elections.”

“We are not making predictions,” said Wasserman Schultz.

Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) was similarly measured, saying only that the gathering was a “marvelous two days despite the weather and the odds against us.”