The economy is not helping the Democrats in 2014

A Gallup poll released today shows that one in six Americans thinks the No. 1 problem facing the country is immigration/illegal aliens. The issue is further turbocharged because it feeds into voters’ second concern, which is “dissatisfaction with government.” This is a huge shift from just one month ago, when immigration ranked fifth on the list, behind the economy; dissatisfaction with government and poor leadership; unemployment and jobs; and poor, high-cost health care. The crisis on our border has caused immigration to skyrocket to the forefront of voters’ concerns.

This is bad for President Obama and the Democrats, as the border crisis could drive turnout of conservatives and older voters who will be critical to the Republicans’ success in the 2014 midterm elections. What we don’t know is what the half life of the border crisis will be. The outrage over the debacle may continue into the fall. It’s equally likely that the furor will subside, with the border breach becoming just another pot boiling over in the Obama kitchen – joining the Veterans Affairs scandal, the Internal Revenue Service scandal, the continuing problems with Obamacare, a host of frightening national security crises, etc.

But while everyone is focused on the border at the moment, the real trouble that could swamp the Democrats continues to be the economy.

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