Dems fear political fallout of Obama's Syria strategy

By Nicole Duran, Nicole Duran

Published December 20, 2015

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Some Democratic strategists are starting to worry that President Obama's opposition to a recently passed House bill regarding Syrian refugees, and his refusal to change his policy for fighting the Islamic State, could hurt Democratic lawmakers and congressional candidates in next year's elections.

"It's never good for Democrats when they're on the defensive on national security and terrorism-related issues," veteran Democratic strategist and former top Senate Democratic aide Jim Manley said.

Polls back up that assertion. A recent Morning Consult survey showed that voters preferred a generic Republican candidate to handle national security issues over a generic Democrat. Numerous polls also show that most Americans do not approve of Obama's strategy for fighting the Islamic State, and also oppose his plans to resettle 10,000 refugees of the Syrian conflict in the U.S. this year.