At any moment Martha Coakley will concede that she has been defeated in her effort for the Democrats to hold on to the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s seat in the United States Senate, dealing a blow to President Obama’s prestige and the future of Democratic Party efforts to control increasing sectors of the American economy.
Today the Wall Street Journal released poll results indicating that Americans are already weary of the big-government policies of Obama and his administration:
For the first time, a majority of Americans — 53% — disapprove of the government’s increased role in the economy since the financial crisis, up from 44% in March. And 48% said Washington was doing too many things better left to businesses and individuals, a plurality seen in polling since September.
The government’s takeover of General Motors, the biggest economic intervention that happened solely on Mr. Obama’s watch, drew the strongest negative reaction. Nearly two-thirds of Americans surveyed, 65%, disapproved of the government’s taking a majority stake in the troubled auto maker. Independents were highly critical of the move, as were Republicans.