How to win an election & lose the economy

Barack Obama -- the new Great Communicator -- isn't. Because of that and because of the fumbling messaging of Democrats in Congress, the Republicans are winning the debate on the stimulus bill. Nate Silver, as always, has the numbers.

At Salon, Joan Walsh details Obama's failures and his path back to success. She writes:

Democrats know the Republicans are wrong. Little children know they're wrong. Cats and dogs know they're wrong. But somehow this week, unbelievably, Obama and the Democrats seem to be losing the spin war.