I was very happy to see the return of the DailyKos PPP weekly poll. And while at first glance the numbers do not bode well for Democrats, I don't see this as a total disaster.  In fact there is a lot to learn from these results that can give Democrats good direction for 2012 (or maybe that is just my optimistic, lean into it mentality).

Some of the toplines that are most notable:

Q1. President Obama (Fav/Unfav) = 46 - 49
Q2. President Obama Job Performance (App/Dis) = 45 - 51
Q5. Speaker Boehner (Fav/Unfav) = 35 - 28 (37 unsure)

And two others that are interesting:

Q8. Would you rather more Democrats or more Republicans were elected in to Congress in the next election?

Dem. = 42
Rep.  = 46
NS    = 12

and this one that is very telling for where I am headed in this diary:

Q11. Do you think repealing the health care law passed last year should be a top priority for Republicans in the new Congress or not?

YES = 50
NO   = 39
NS   = 11

Winning elections is about building confidence within the electorate.  Simply put, I am from the school of thought that when Democrats don't stand up for what they believe in, whatever they believe in, they lose and lose big.  Make fun of him all you want when he cries, but the average voter knows John Boehner believes in what he stands for (even if we Democrats disagree with his stance). 

I know others have said it before with much amazement, but when Democrats retreated on health care and then after it was passed, retreated on debating it as an accomplishment, the signal it gave off to the American voter was a position of weakness.  Why take on and then pass such a historical piece of public policy and then hide it like a piece of gum you stick under your chair at a movie theater?  Everyone knows it's there.

I am not here to pile on. But there is a difference of approach to this last election cycle when you heard it communicated by those inside the Beltway and those outside, where real America lives.

So do Democratic candidates, both incumbents and challengers have to dig themselves out of a little bit of a hole?  Damn straight they do.  But using a position shift on the political spectrum as a shovel will not gain or regain a favorable position within the voter's minds.  Just think about an elected position in the same way you would think about a normal job that any person would have.  Think about how the boss makes a decision to hire an employee.  They want to know that the person they hire knows what they are doing and will remain confident in their role.  They want to know the person won't get their company into any trouble.  And they love to see a plan.

I've worked for all kinds of Democrats: conservative, moderates and liberals.  And I can tell you that my favorite candidates to work for wasn't because of where they fell on that scale.  I got up in the morning each day wanting to go to work for the folks I believed in and who truly believed in why they were running.

So thanks to DailyKos for starting the weekly poll again.  My take on it all: This isn't the end.  This just shows us where to begin.

Daren ---