The Democrats are convinced that ObamaCare will be their ticket to political survival, the only way of avoiding a 2010 wipeout. So far, it doesn’t look that way. From Rasmussen: “Republican candidates now have an eight-point lead over Democrats, their biggest lead of the year, in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot.” And the president?

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 25% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-six percent (46%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -21. That’s the lowest Approval Index rating yet recorded for this President. … Overall, 44% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President’s performance. Fifty-six percent (56%) now disapprove.

To top it off, Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith leaves the 258-seat Democratic majority to join the “party of no.” His reason? Health care. Honest. He says that “he can no longer align himself ‘with a party that continues to pursue legislation that is bad for our country, hurts our economy and drives us further and further into debt.’ ” Will there be others?

More important, there will be a conference committee and final votes in the House and most likely the Senate (unless the unaltered Senate bill can be jammed down the throats of the House members). In a week or so, this could look like a political debacle. But it’s an avoidable one. And congressmen and senators don’t need to do something as dramatic as leaving their party. They can simply vote no.