Democrats' new strategy for midterm success: More Barack Obama on the campaign trail

You think I’m kidding.

Democratic congressional leaders used a White House strategy session Thursday to push President Barack Obama to be more aggressive in helping them campaign in the final weeks before November’s elections, multiple senior Democratic sources familiar with the meeting tell CNN.

According to the sources, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the president that congressional Democrats want to see more of the kind of campaign rally and rhetoric he displayed this week in Wisconsin. They said they especially want him to continue to make the case – and the contrast with Republicans – on jobs and the economy…

A fourth source familiar with the meeting said Democratic leaders discussed with the president the need to focus on the party’s base and make sure it’s revved up. But, the source added, the lawmakers also told him that “we can’t forget about the independents.”…

Although Obama’s popularity has dipped, Democrats say they still believe that when he is “on” – like they believe he was in Wisconsin this week – he is their best campaign advocate and spokesman against the Republicans.

Hey, kids? If your secret weapon is The One cracking Slurpee jokes in purple districts, trust me — you assuredly can forget about independents. Remember, this is a guy whose brand is so tainted that his endorsement is now a liability in his own home state, whose performance in Wisconsin that the Democrats seem so impressed with was part of a seven-minute goof yesterday about what a disappointment he is on the left’s most beloved nightly comedy show. If you’re eager to have a popular Democrat go to bat for struggling candidates, why not dial up the Man from Hope? His net favorables these days are +32 compared to +6 for the God Who Failed. It’s a no-brainer, which … explains why they’re not going to do it, I guess. If running ObamaCare ads when he’s 12 points down makes sense to Russ Feingold, I suppose having the man whose name will forever brand that legislation out on the trail “makes sense” too.

Maybe it’s time to start looking past the election, actually. We’ve got a lame-duck session coming up in December that could be quite treacherous indeed. If only there was a conservative demigod available to raise awareness about this very important issue… Exit question: The leading theory on the left lately about why the White House keeps whining about progressives is that they want an easy scapegoat available after the inevitable midterm meltdown. Doesn’t having Obama out on the trail undermine that, though? The more he campaigns, the more his fingerprints are on the result. They will be anyway, of course, but if he goes into hiding now, he can always try the lame “we would have done better if I had campaigned more” excuse afterwards.