DISCONNECT

With all polls showing the popularity of the President, the Republicans, and Congress at almost all-time lows this new poll from Newsweek, which shows a statistical tie between Obama and McCain spells big trouble for the Democrats.

The public should be heaping scorn upon failed Republican policies and candidates. It should be a landslide year for the Democrats and Obama should be way ahead, yet he isn't. What happened to those polls just a week ago which showed the Democrat with a 15 percentage point lead over the Republican?

I think the overriding emotion that voters are feeling right now is fear.

Fear of war in the middle east, where nightly TV news shows Iran firing missiles.

Fear of high prices, with gas pumps showing numbers that once existed only on pocket calculators.

Fear of no oil, where even oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens has his own television commercials that says the age of oil is over.

Fear of food shortages, where Brits are asked to adopt the measures that got them through the shortages of World War 2.

Fear of financial disaster, where bank failures are no longer ancient stories of the 1930s depression.

FEAR.

Fear plays into the hands of the Republicans, long thought to be the "Daddy" party, the party of strength, as opposed to the "let's all play nice together and share the toys" "Mommy" Democrats. These aren't the times to gather down by the river and sing "Kumbaya".

So while Democrats may at an advantage in local races and with the pocketbook money issues such as health care, I think the public really wants a guy at the top who wields a big stick and knows how to use it.

Events leading up to the November election will have an out sized influence on the voters.

Make no mistake about it, this is going to be a very, very, tight race.