OBAMA'S NUMBERS REBOUND – AT 9:09 P.M. ET:  It may be an awkward moment to be talking about political gains and losses, but we must report.  President Obama's poll numbers are rising, as noted by the Weekly Standard, and it's a lesson for Republicans, some of whom think 2012 will be easy:

Good news for the president. After nearly two years of sliding downward, his job approval numbers have ticked up a little bit. The average of major media polls in December had him clocking in with a job approval of about 45 percent. As of early January, his numbers are up to about 49 percent. The two daily tracking polls have shown siilmilar movement. At the beginning of the month, Gallup had the president around 45 percent approval while today he is at 48 percent. Rasmussen has found similar movement.

And...

This is a good time to remind Republicans that 2012 is not going to be a cakewalk. It is extremely difficult to unseat incumbent presidents, if for no other reason than the fact that people want the president to succeed, giving him a structural advantage that the challenging party simply does not enjoy. Republicans will have to nominate a sharp candidate with broad appeal who inspires confidence that he or she will do a better job in the middle of the country. Otherwise, President Obama will surely win a second term.

COMMENT:  We have also stressed here that Republicans must take into account, and work to overcome, the terrible bias of the mainstream media.  There was no real media strategy on our side in 2008, and John McCain suffered because of it.  Ronald Reagan learned to speak above the heads of the media establishment and directly to the American people, with obvious results.

President Reagan, when chided over the fact that he'd been an actor, also said that he didn't know how anyone without acting training could be president.  He was making a good point.  A presidential candidate must have the rhetorical skill to present himself, or herself, to the American people, and that skill must be assessed during the nominating process.

January 13, 2011