“I’m not going to create nightmares where none exist right now. But certainly for the paranoid there’s plenty to fear, and maybe even just for the fearful there’s plenty to fear,” Blumenthal said, while adding that he still had a “basic trust in [Obama’s] commitments and his instincts.”

Alaska Sen. Mark Begich, one of the most endangered 2014 Democrats, has begun to warn voters back home that they may have more to fear than a GOP Senate. He’s also bluntly telling Alaska seniors that they will lose Social Security benefits, given Obama’s willingness to lower annual cost-of-living adjustments as part of past attempts at a deficit deal.

“It should worry Alaskan seniors,” Begich said in an interview. Raising concerns about the consumer price index, the inflation measure used to set benefits, he added, “Alaskan seniors will see a reduction in their Social Security payments because these Republicans will team up with Obama on chained CPI. Am I worried about it? Yes. Should Alaskan seniors be worried about [it]? Absolutely.

“I think that’s an example where someone might be mad at Obama. But if you’re a senior, and you’re mad at Obama today, you’ll be really mad at Obama and the Republicans because they are going to reduce your benefits,” he added.