WASHINGTON — The decisions of two powerful Democrats to retire from the Senate is a reminder of how drastically the political climate has changed over the 12 months since President Barack Obama came to power — a wind shift that has thrown the Democratic Party off-balance and turned the politics of raising hope into the politics of managing anger.
The news that Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., would not seek re-election was the result of different personal and political considerations. But both announcements point to the forces that could make it easier for Republicans to cut into Democrats’ commanding congressional majorities in the 2010 midterm elections.
Dorgan bowed out in the face of a likely tough fight for re-election against a popular governor in a Republican-dominated state — an emblem of how much harder it will be for Democrats this year to replicate their 2008 victories in conservative states and districts.
Dodd decided not to run again because of a barrage of controversies that showed how, in an anti-incumbent environment, the political assets of holding power can be outweighed by the liabilities of its trappings.
To be sure, the anti-incumbent clamor that helped undercut Dodd’s stature also is posing problems for Republicans. GOP leaders are struggling to harness the energy of anti-establishment “tea party” activists, who have threatened the Republican establishment in GOP primaries for the Senate in places such as Florida. In that state, the GOP chairman resigned this week under fire from the populist right.
Both parties will be challenged to keep their footing in an election year that promises to be even more volatile than usual. The allegiance of independent voters has been swinging rapidly. The U.S. economy and world affairs are in turmoil.
“You have an angry, volatile electorate more up for grabs than usual,” said Peter Fenn, a Democratic political consultant. “People are jumpy and unsettled about their future and the country’s future. Even cultural stuff is unstable. Look at Tiger Woods: One minute you’re a hero; the next minute you’re a bum.”
Still, the unstable political environment poses the bigger risk for the party in power.
Ten House Democrats and 14 House Republicans have announced they are not seeking re-election. In the Senate, six Republican senators and five Democrats have announced their retirements.
