After the unthinkable happened in Massachusetts, the Republicans now believe anything is possible. The Republican Party has its sights set on Illinois and is moving in for the kill, all its guns blazing. A victory in Illinois for the Republicans would be far worse for President Obama than the Massachusetts affair as it is his home state. The presidential elections witnessed Obama steamrolling John McCain by acquiring 62 % of the votes.
Now with a disastrous economy, an unemployment rate on the rise and general doubts about Obama, people are starting to lose confidence in the President as well as the Democratic Party, hence the possibility of an embarrassment for Obama in Illinois. So far, the Republican candidate Mark Kirk is trailing his opponent Alexi Giannoulias in recent polls, but all that could change.
The decline in the President’s popularity is not entirely his fault, as his campaign message that has been taken out of context that should be blamed. The message of Hope and Change was instilled so deeply in the minds of the voters that expectations were built higher than Obama could probably achieve. The period he has had to deliver as well as the inheritance from the Bush Administration has not been kind to Obama. Delays could be one of the reasons to the slow pace that he has been forced to adopt, that has been interpreted as backing off from election promises by many voters.
The damage this is causing Obama in the Senate, in terms of votes, is a setback as well. In turn, it has forced him to put certain issues on hold and promote others, which is seen as indecisive and a lack of commitment by many. Altogether, the whole scenario is hurting the Democrats in a big way, which is what the Republican Party hopes to capitalize on when they begin their battle for Illinois in a few days.