October surprise’ and the November election in U.S.

. Chandrachud weeks to go for the November showdown, Republicans and Democrats are bracing for an event that not only sets the political landscape in the United States for the next two years but also the general framework for the showdown in 2024, with or without Donald Trump. Democrats are especially concerned and should be for more than one reason. Holding their own ranks is a major task and beating back the persistent and worn-out rhetoric of many in the Grand Old Party (GOP) of a fraudulent U.S. presidential election in 2020 seems to be a bigger challenge.

Recently, Democrats were bracing themselves for a disastrous rout on November 8. The party was expected to be beaten badly in the House of Representatives and the chances of the GOP wresting control of the Senate also seemed to be a distinct possibility. The poor ratings of the Democrats aside, what hurt was the standing of U.S. President Joseph Biden who had an approval rating between the low to mid 30s.

Findings of NPR poll
But a latest NPR poll shows Mr. Biden to be rebounding to an approval rate of 44%. Still, not many political pundits are sure if this will reflect on the fortunes of the Democratic Party. At one time this June, the country was just outraged that the U.S. Supreme Court had overturned the historic Roe vs Wade, in what led to an emotional and spirited debate on abortion and the right of a woman over her body. Three months ago, and for a brief period of time, ‘abortion’ ranked as one of the top issues in the mid-term elections. But to the dismay of many liberals, that subject is slowly falling off the radar to perhaps fifth or sixth position in the scheme of things only to be replaced by what conservatives have used to go after the Biden administration — inflation and crime. The NPR/Marist poll also had some