A piece in the NYT describes the current relationship between parties in Washington, heading for the 2012 election:
With Democrats and Republicans locked in a struggle for supremacy, both are guardedly optimistic that currents are blowing their way. In dozens of conversations over the past week or so, while differences emerge among politicians when it comes to their own parties, there’s a consensus about their opponents’ vulnerabilities.
Republicans already are overreaching, Democrats say, badly misconstruing any mandate from last November. The opposition’s presidential field is a historically weak one that will be further impaired by the demands of the political base.
Republicans think that Democrats aren’t in sync with a nationwide anti-government mood. President Barack Obama, saddled with unpopular measures enacted in his first two years and what his foes consider a leadership void, will suffer next year.
