THE GUARDIAN: Voter disenchantment with US president was reflected by 5,000 empty seats during event at Cleveland's Wolfstein centre
Thousands of empty seats at Barack Obama's last campaign rally of the midterm elections today highlighted the decline in his popularity and the potential meltdown facing the Democrats at the polls on Tuesday.
Screens at Cleveland's Wolfstein centre showed the Obama logo from the 2008 White House race, the old campaign songs were played and the crowd chanted his slogan 'Yes, we can'. But the excitement and euphoria of that campaign were long gone. About 8,000 people turned out to see Obama in the 13,000-capacity stadium, compared with the 80,000 at a rally in the city two days before the 2008 election.
Speaking in Cleveland at the end of a whirlwind four-state tour , Obama said it was an important election. "We have the chance to set the direction of this country for many years to come," he said. He warned that the Republicans could roll back all the progress of the last two years if they won big.
He admitted it was "a difficult election" because of the state of the economy, and blamed the Republicans for creating the federal deficit – a theme he has repeated throughout the campaign but one that has failed to resonate with the electorate.
The Democrats face defeat on a scale that political analysts say has not been seen in more than 60 years. A CNN poll today put support for the Republicans at 52% and 42% for the Democrats , a big enough lead to ensure the Republicans take control of the House of Representatives and cut deep into the Democratic majority in the Senate. >>> Ewen MacAskill in Cleveland | Sunday, October 31, 2010
