Obama Election Defeat Termed 'Astonishing'

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 11:16 PM

By: David A. Patten

The Obama freight train that has been steamrolling American politics ever since his election one year ago ran squarely into a political brick wall Tuesday night, as Democrats suffered stunning setbacks in Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races.

The big surprise: New Jersey, a blue state where Obama invested significant political capital by pulling out all the stops to try to put incumbent Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine over the top.

The president personally campaigned for Corzine three times, taped "robocalls," and sent his vice-president to make two more appearances.

Yet despite the president and vice president repeatedly putting their personal prestige on the line, and despite a $10 million Corzine advertising advantage, the incumbent was unable to turn back the wave of dissatisfaction with the economy, and high property taxes.

"There is a reason Obama went in over and over in Virginia and New Jersey," Wall Street Journal columnist and author John Fund told Newsmax. "He was worried what this would do to spook Blue Dog Democrats on health care ...he was right to be worried."

GOP strategist Roger Stone told Newsmax "the bloom is off the Obama rose."

Even Democratic strategist James Carville says the results show the GOP is “all gassed upâ€