President Obama is probably hoping the Democratic Party doesn’t abandon him in the wake of the bungled health care law rollout, MSNBC’s Chuck Todd said on Friday’s Morning Joe.
“This clearly is the low of his presidency, politically, right now,” The Daily Rundown host said. “Just the way probably he feels as his ability to lead the party, or frankly, hope that the party doesn’t abandon him right now in this moment.”
“The president seemed to hint that he’s not happy with his staff, that he’s not happy with the position he’s been put in, and that he’s going to do an after-action report,” he added. “I have to think that made a lot of people in the West Wing and a lot of people at [the Department of Health and Human Services] a little bit nervous.”
Obama received another low approval rating from Americans earlier this week in a new Quinnipiac University poll.
Related: Obama hits rock bottom with Bush-level ratings
Democratic unity has been tested in recent weeks amid problems with the signature law. But on Thursday, Obama acknowledged that the fiasco “has put a burden on Democrats, whether they’re running or not.”
He took responsibility for the botched health law rollout and announced a “fix” to revert the rash of insurance plan cancellations sweeping the country. Individuals who saw their insurance plans cancelled because of the law will be able to re-enroll in similar plans, Obama said at the White House.
“We’re going to extend that principle both to people whose plans have changed since the law took effect and people who bought plans since the law took effect,” he said during a press conference.
Former White House senior adviser David Axelrod joined the Morning Joe conversation on Friday, saying, “You’re never as smart as you look when you’re winning, and you’re never as dumb as you look when you’re losing.”
Axelrod added that he is often reminded of those words during moments like this that test the country.
But there will be at least six other defining issues between now and November 2014 that will determine the next presidential election, Axelrod said.
“If they don’t get it right,” he added, “then we’ll be having a different discussion.”
Watch more on Morning Joe.
Michele Richinick