As we approach the homestretch of the midterm elections, President Obama and other top Democrats have amped up their efforts to paint Republicans as “the party of no.”

On the other hand, Democrats now have to come face-to-face with angry constituents after a long season of unpopular and expensive legislation, and most Republicans are now able to enjoy the luxury of relaxing with a smirk and an implicit, “I told you so.”

Top members of the Democratic leadership have also proven to be a huge liability. President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are all seen as a hindrance to the more moderate-leaning Democrats in Congress. If I were a Democrat seeking re-election during this midterm, I’d tell all three to stay the hell away.

In a clear struggle to dodge the political backlash from an unpopular Congressional season, not one Democrat running for re-election is campaigning on the cliché “historic success” of the healthcare bill. I believe it’s apparent to them that they’re in for a tough fight to separate themselves from the ultra-left mentality of our current Congress.

In an effort to gauge this president and his administration’s popularity and importance in the re-election campaigns for members of his party, I can’t help but look back at Bush during this period of his presidency. His appearances were always welcomed and vital to the candidate’s political credibility.

Fast forward to 2010. With President Obama’s approval ratings falling by the day, his administration’s extremely unpopular policies and his party’s leadership making jaw-dropping offhand comments seemingly by the day, many believe that this president is unwelcome in some Democrats’ re-election campaigns.

When speaking in the major swing state of Ohio on Wednesday, President Obama took the opportunity to lay out his new plans for the struggling economy, including a $350 billion stimulus (although he never used the word.)

President Obama’s jabs at the Republicans during his speech were not surprising – specifically those against House Minority Leader John Boehner, who is from Ohio. The president called out Rep. Boehner a total of eight times during the speech, which seemed to show an obvious sign of worry for the Democrats about the overwhelming public support for the Republicans to regain control of Congress.

President Obama told ABC News, “If the election is a referendum on ‘are people satisfied about the economy as it currently is,’ then we’re not going to do well, because I think everybody feels like this economy needs to do better than it has been doing.”

I halfway agree with him, this election is also a referendum on his administration’s social policies, such as the hot-button issue of illegal immigration.

It’s no secret that a majority of Americans support immigration reform, but the president’s handling of the Arizona immigration law is very unpopular with many.

This election is also a referendum on President Obama’s personal performance thus far. With his record-setting amount of golf games and countless vacations, he seems almost apathetic to the problems that this country is facing. Simply put, this election is Obama’s midterm grade report.

With bad legislation such as the stimulus and healthcare overhaul, Democrats are finally going to be held accountable for their actions when voters go to the polls in November. Americans are fed up with this Congress, this president and their out-of-control spending habits.

Austin Gaddis is a sophomore majoring in public relations and communications studies.