It's hard to imagine more dire news for the Democratic Party than the results of the most recent Ipsos-McClatchy poll.

According to the survey, the Democratic Party has suffered a serious decline in favorability over the past year. At the end of November, 2008, Democrats had a net +27 favorable rating (61 fav/34 unfav). Today the gap is just +5, with 51% holding a favorable view of the Democratic Party and 46% holding an unfavorable view.

Things look especially bleak on economic-related issues. Consider:

In the past year, the Democrats' substantial lead over Republicans on the question of which party can do a better job of handling the economy has completely evaporated. Last November Democrats held a 21-point advantage on that question, 58 to 37. Today their lead is down to just a single point, 40 to 39.

On the issue of taxes, Democrats are now running two points behind Republicans after leading last year by a 17 point margin, 52-35.

Ditto the issue of economic growth. A 30-point Democratic advantage last November is now a 3-point deficit to Republicans, 38 to 41.

On the issue of making America competitive in the world economy, the Democrats' 20 point advantage last November is down to just three.

The biggest shift of all comes on the question of who can better deal with the federal budget deficit. Last year Democrats lead Republicans 56 to 26.  Today, Republicans lead Democrats on the issue by a 41 to 34 margin - a net 37-point swing in just over twelve months.

Lastly, on the issue of which party can do a better job of reforming the United States health care system, Democrats' advantage over Republicans has gone from 39 points (62-23)last year down to just 4 points today (40-36).

Yet another national survey shows President Barack Obama registering an all time low approval rating. According to the new Ipsos/McClatchy poll, 49% approve of the job he is doing as president while an equal number disapprove.  The 49/49 split represents a ten point drop from Ipsos' last survey taken October 29 - November 1.

Obama has lost support across the board over the past eight weeks, declining a net of 11 points of support among Democrats, 8 points among Republicans, and a whopping 18 points among Independents:

Democrats
Approve 77 (-5 vs. last poll)
Disapprove 21 (+6)

Republicans
Approve 16 (-5)
Disapprove 81 (+3)

Independents
Approve 41 (-4)
Disapprove 55 (+14)

Obama has also lost ground across the board on specific issues, most notably on the economy.

Americans have the lowest opinion of members of Congress “honesty and ethical standards” since Gallup began tracking the issue in the 1970s. A majority of adults, 55%, view the ethical conduct of members of Congress as low or very low. In fact, of the nearly two-dozen occupational groups tracked, the integrity of those serving in Congress is held in the lowest esteem. And yes, that includes even car salesmen. Read the full report here.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland's (D) re-election hopes are growing dimmer if the new Rasmussen poll (500 LVs, 12/7, MoE +/- 4.5%) is any indication. The incumbent, who looked safe only a year ago, now trails Republican challenger John Kasich by 9 points in the battleground state.

General Election Matchup
Kasich 48
Strickland 38
Und 11

Job Approval
Obama 46 / 53
Strickland 48 / 50

Kasich's lead was just 46-45 in the previous Rasmussen survey in September. Kasich leads by 2.7 in the RCP Average of Ohio, a reflection of how the tide has seemingly turned in a short time. Rasmussen's take:

Unemployment in Ohio has jumped to 10.5%, the state is wrestling with an $851 million budget shortfall, and Governor Ted Strickland has proposed delaying a tax cut approved in 2005. Add it all together, and it's a tough environment for the incumbent Democratic governor.

Forgive the carbon-based pun, but the climate change conference in Copenhagen appears to be off to a very rocky start. The Telegraph reports the rather embarrassing news that one of the Chinese attendees was blocked from entering the conference not once but three times.

On a far more substantive note, The Guardian reports:

The UN Copenhagen climate talks are in disarray today after developing countries reacted furiously to leaked documents that show world leaders will next week be asked to sign an agreement that hands more power to rich countries and sidelines the UN's role in all future climate change negotiations.

Stay tuned. At this rate, there's bound to be more chaos to come.

Yet another segment by Jon Stewart ripping the Obama administration - this time over President Obama's (and the Democrats') eagerness to spend the "found money" savings from the TARP program and his phony reintroduction of "weatherization" as some exciting new idea for job creation.

Stewart is as committed of a liberal as you'll find in anywhere in the country. He's also wicked smart and exceedingly funny - something he proved by skewering the Bush administration day in and day out for years. And, despite being the host of a comedy show, he wields a significant amount of influence, especially among the younger crowd.

The fact he's now starting to turn his cutting comedic skills on the Obama administration with a surprising degree of regularity should be concerning to the White House. Because if they lose Jon Stewart, life will become a lot more difficult.

Attorney General Martha Coakley last night won the Democratic nomination in a special primary election in Massachusetts, coasting in what turned out to be a snoozer of a race to fill Ted Kennedy's former Senate seat.

Attention now turns to the general election on January 19, where Coakley is a heavy favorite to win the seat outright. But Republicans, buoyed by the changing national environment and a strong nominee of their own in state Sen. Scott Brown, are not going to concede anything just yet.

“Voters will have a clear choice. We can elect a cookie cutter Democrat who will vote for more spending and higher taxes, or we can try something new and elect an independent voice,” said Eric Fehrnstrom, a consultant for Brown's campaign.

Republicans have had success at the statewide level in races for governor, but federal elections have been a tougher hill to climb. The Bay State hasn't had a GOP senator since Ed Brooke lost his re-election bid in 1978. The seat at stake now was last in Republican hands in 1953, when Henry Cabot Lodge ceded it to John F. Kennedy.

“I don't think people are predisposed [to vote for a Democrat],” said one Massachusetts Republican operative. “A Republican with good stances on the issues can win.”

Brown has focused his campaign on fiscal issues, and his election, Fehrnstrom said, “will send a message to the big spenders in Washington.” He does support abortion rights, but opposes same-sex marriage. On the issues of the day, Brown does support Obama “in winning the war on terror,” but has issues with the administration's approach to handling detainees and trying some on American soil. Brown “thinks the stimulus was well intentioned,” but believes it failed in creating new jobs. On health care, he opposes the federal bill “because it will undermine the Massachusetts health care reforms” passed earlier in the decade.

These positions may, on the face of it, be trouble in the heavily-Democratic state. But Brown is running on the promise of being an independent voice for the state, which could have resonance in what will again likely be a low turnout race, against the backdrop of a national climate growing more hostile for incumbents, and in a state where the current Democratic governor has had trouble.

“They say I'm the long shot, and if the same old powers-that-be get to decide this election, I guess that's right,'' Brown said last night. “But I'm betting that a new day is coming in Massachusetts.''

To win the Democratic nomination, Coakley, took “every liberal position possible," which “isn't necessarily a good thing,” even in Massachusetts, the GOP operative said. But, in a dose of reality, “Everything can go right, and still you can lose,” he added.

Coakley, if elected, would be the first woman to represent Massachusetts in the Senate, and she has strong support from national groups like EMILY's List in that effort. Brown could get some national support in his bid now that the matchup is set, but still has a high financial hurdle to pass.

And if the election is framed as the choice between a vote for Democrats and President Obama in the Senate, that could be too much to overcome, even for the strongest Republican challenger.

At 46%, President Obama's latest job approval rating is the lowest ever in Quinnipiac polls, and he has an upside down rating for his handling of health care.

The new survey (Dec. 1-6, 2313 RV, MoE +/- 2%), released this morning, finds 44% disapproving of the job Obama's doing. More than half (51%) of independents now disapprove of Obama's job performance, while 37% approve.

In the RCP Average, Obama's job approval rating has fallen to a new low of 48.5%.

"The decline in Obama's overall approval in the last month has been small, with the exception of independent voters who went from three points negative to 14 points," said Quinnipiac assistant director Peter Brown. "If the trend continues, it won't be long before he could be in the unenviable position of having more Americans disapprove than approve of his job performance."

On health care, 56% approve of giving people a government-run insurance option. However, voters disapprove by a 52%-38% margin of the overall reform package currently being debated in the Senate, and disapprove of Obama's handling of health care 56%-38%.

Voters still trust Obama (44%) more than Republicans in Congress (37%) to handle health care, and they disapprove overall of the way both Republicans (58%-30%) and Democrats (56%-33%) in Congress are doing their job.

Rasmussen Reports' latest poll shows Chris Dodd continuing to have serious problems in his bid for re-election.  He trails former Representative Rob Simmons 48%-35%, with 11% undecided.  This means that even if 100% of the undecideds break for Dodd, Simmons would still win.  He trails Linda McMahon, wife of pro wrestling mogul Vince McMahon, 44%-38%.  And he trails businessman Peter Schiff by a point, 40%-39%.

At the risk of stating the obvious, this is very bad news for Dodd.  Obviously a lot can change in eleven months, but very few Senators pull off comebacks of this magnitude.  The only bright side for Dodd is that Connecticut is an awfully blue state, so voters will be at least somewhat open to hearing his arguments for re-election.

A new Civitas Institute survey in North Carolina finds Gov. Bev Perdue's (D) favorable rating still net negative, as 32% hold a favorable view of the 2008-elected governor and 38% see her unfavorably.

Even worse, if the election were today, just one-fifth of voters say they would vote to re-elect Perdue, the state's first female governor. Twenty percent said they would re-elect her, while 62% said they would not and 17% were unsure.

"It's rather remarkable how quickly Gov. Perdue's popularity has dropped. Less than a year on the job and only one in five voters would keep her around,” said Civitas executive director Francis De Luca.

The survey was conducted Dec. 1-3 of 600 likely voters with a margin of error of +/- 4%.