Democrat's lack of enthusiasm or Republican feuding?

Two messages circulating in the media on the upcoming election are that the Democrats aren't fired up yet, and that Republicans are suffering from deep fissures. Both of these situations, it is believed, will have an impact in November, but which one will matter most?

Democrats traditionally do not get excited about mid-term elections, but there are some signs that things have been picking up lately.

Republicans suffered some internal defeats during the primaries when Tea Party candidates with wild agendas beat out candidates supported by the party's leadership.  The division in the GOP could spell trouble in certain races where the Tea Party appears hesitant to support candidates who not share their agenda.  For example, Meg Whitman has been under fire in the California's race because of her views on immigration and climate change.

Even among the GOP mainstream there may be some friction between those who support party chairman Michael Steele and those who are not happy with his performance and behavior.  This could be one of the reasons that the GOP has only about half the cash on hand as its Democratic counterpart.

Divisions among Democrats, however, seemed to have cooled down.  Many on the left do not like what they see in the Tea Party and apparently have been willing to calm things down as the election approaches.  Indeed, there even appears to be a fire brewing under the Democratic base.

With still more than two months to go though, we will have to wait and see how these trends play out as the polls draw closer.



President Obama is urging Congress to pass a jobs bill at the White House, MarketWatch reports Monday.