Democratic Congressional freshmen distance themselves from Obama

Watching the results of Pennsylvania's special election to replace the late Jack Murtha has given a lesson to first-term Democratic members of Congress. The Democratic Party's hopes to retain control of Congress may rest on a strategy of distancing themselves from the President, as reported by Congressional Quarterly:

But first-term Democrats may be looking at newly minted Rep. Mark Critz for inspiration. The Pennsylvania Democrat performed better than expected in last week’s special election to replace the late John P. Murtha — and he did so by running as an independent-minded Democrat who is pro-gun, anti-abortion and against Obama’s health care plan.