With the stock market having had its worst day since the 2008 financial crisis yesterday, the president is in need of some tepidly optimistic news. Rasmussen polling's latest national telephone survey might fit the bill: 54 percent of likely voters still think that Obama is "somewhat likely" to be reelected in 2012, a number that isn't exactly a boon but at least represents a majority. Another 40 percent of voters think it's "unlikely" Obama will get reelected and that, presumably, a GOP contender will be in the White House in 2012. Perhaps more interesting is the party breakdowns for the early guesstimations: "Predictably, most Democrats (83%) think the president is likely to be reelected, while the majority (68%) of Republicans don’t." The response from Democrats, at least, seems to imply that a potential rebellion from the liberal left isn't all that likely.

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Erik Hayden