QUOTE OF THE DAY - AT 10:25 A.M. ET:  From respected political reporter Dan Balz of The Washington Post, on the Obama-Democratic dilemma, as we enter the political season:

For much of the year, White House officials have been cautioning their Democratic allies on Capitol Hill that the party will rise or fall together, that failure is the worst possible outcome of the health-care debate because of what it would say about the Democrats' ability to govern. That remains a powerful motivator among Democrats, and it is one reason to believe that, in the end, Congress will send some kind of health-care bill to Obama for his signature.

But members of Congress and the president are now operating on conflicting political timetables. Obama doesn't have to worry about reelection until 2012, when the world could look quite different. Members of Congress have to face the voters in 14 months and already they are nervous about what they see. Once they start worrying mostly about their own survival, Obama's hold on them will be weakened.

Obama's self-confidence and patience are well known. If he has been rattled by the summer setbacks, he won't show it. But this is not the campaign of 2008. His team of Hill veterans knows that successful legislating is tedious and often comes in small, hard-won victories that ultimately add up to bigger success. That has been and remains their focus.

COMMENT:  Yeah, this governing part is a bummer.  It was so easy when you could have a rally with 10,000 starry-eyed college students, and shout, "Yes we can!"

And remember that Mr. Obama faces large foreign-policy challenges in the fall, as well as a confrontation on his cap 'n trade bill, which is running into fierce opposition in the Senate. 

For Obama, the best news would be a revived economy.  Money in the pocket, or a good job, will change votes, no matter what today's polls show. 

September 2, 2009