Despite having one of the most productive Congresses in recent memory, the Democrats are expected to incur losses bad enough to, at the very least, lose the House in next week's elections.  A far cry from the victories of 2008 and 2006.

That being said, historically the party in power always loses seats during the midterm election cycle.  There has been a lot of talk about the voter enthusiasm gap, apathy and anger, etc., but the fact is that the Republican strategy adopted after Democrats seized control of the legislature and executive was eminently successful.  The plan was to stay unified and obstruct the legislative process as best they could to prevent the President and Democrats from achieving any significant legislative success.  Republican Senator Jim DeMint is on record as having argued against health-care reform so as to "break" Obama and be his "Waterloo".

Add to that anonymous holds, which is a motion that prevents a vote, on dozens of nominees for federal courts and agencies which members of the Senate are able to do for no particular reason.  Sprinkle in some Tea Party rhetoric about taxes and big government and you have yourself an energized base willing and eager to vote whichever way the Koch brothers want.  And after Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said to the National Journal that the number one Republican goal after the midterms was to make sure the President Obama did not achieve a second term, it seems like the status quo will remain unchanged. 

It remains to be seen how continued stalling tactics will be received by an increasingly angry public whose confidence in Congress is extremely low, but this morning former Republican Representative Joe Scarborough openly criticized Senator Mitch McConnell's comments.

Watch the clip via Think Progress below: