Good artilce by Alex Isenstadt in Politico on why Democrats will try to distance themselves from President Obama in 2014. Almost all the competitive House races are in GOP-leaning districts where Obama's name and agenda are not very popular: To net 17 seats and flip the chamber, Democrats have to win predominantly on GOP turf, in districts that Mitt Romney won and where Obama and his agenda are unpopular. A number of Democrats made clear in interviews that the more partisan posture Obama has adopted over the past few months -- particularly on cultural issues like gun control, and to a lesser extent on immigration and gay marriage -- is making an uphill slog that much steeper. "I think the tone coming out of the White House ... could probably be more conciliatory," said Jim Graves, a Minnesota Democrat who nearly knocked off Rep. Michele Bachmann last year in a suburban Twin Cities district where Obama barely eclipsed 40 percent. Graves, who's girding for a rematch against...(Read Full Post)