VIRGINIA UP FOR GRABS - AT 8:48 P.M. ET:  What a difference six months makes?  Did we ever think, six months ago, that Barack Obama would be considered a drag on a ticket in a state that he carried?  Welcome to Virginia.  From Fox News:

Forget the candidates. The outcome of Virginia's race for governor in November may depend primarily on one overriding factor: President Obama's approval rating.

The gubernatorial race between Republican Bob McDonnell and Democrat Creigh Deeds may become a referendum on Obama, as voters look less at the candidates in their state and more at the man in the White House.

Last November, Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Virginia in 40 years. But in his first six months in office, the president's poll numbers have dropped considerably among independents, who say they are disillusioned by his economic promises and angered by a health care reform bill they say defines him as a big-government spender.

"He's become a double-edged sword in Virginia," said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. "The overall impression is that he's trying to do too much too quickly, and he's becoming identified with big spending and big government.

"That doesn't sell well in Virginia," he said.

COMMENT:  And, of course, nothing Obama has launched has been especially successful.  If he's seen as dragging down the Democratic ticket, especially in swing states and districts, the 2010 midterm elections will be turned upside down.

Hillary must be loving this.  Possible opening in 2012?  The party turning to the woman who wuz wronged?  Oh, the movie.  The play.  The book rights.

Stay tuned. 

August 6, 2009