“The Democrats are going to lose seats this November. A lot of them.”

It’s a mantra that’s made its way into the media so pervasively that at this point it seems to be common knowledge. Republicans have claimed the Democratic base suffers from an “enthusiasm gap” and just won’t have the voter turnout to sustain many strong victories.

Well, I’d like to call into question that “common knowledge.”

Anyone who attended this Tuesday’s “Moving America Forward” rally knows that, somewhere dormant within the Democratic Party, is the same energy that elected Barack Obama in 2008. If Obama and his fellow Democrats can bring out that energy with as much success as he did on Tuesday, these midterm elections are far from over.

Up until this point, the Right has dominated the discourse on the Obama presidency. By defining him as a big government executive trying to ram legislation down the throats of the American people, they have the rhetorical advantage. These are powerful images that demonize the Left. They’re easy to grasp and even easier to repeat. Democrats are left defending a more nebulous set of governing principles. Their policies often promote short-term spending with long-term growth, and despite whether or not you think they’re good ideas, they’re undoubtedly harder to defend when the economy is hurting and Americans need change as soon as possible.

On Tuesday, the president managed to reframe the debate. First, he reminded the crowd about the failed policies of his predecessors. Historically, the number-one predictor of presidential popularity has been the economy. Almost without exception, if the American economy is doing poorly, presidential approval ratings will reflect it. It is not surprising, then, that Obama has gotten most of the blame for the recession. In his address, however, he drew attention to the fact that the majority of jobs lost were directly before he took office. While the Democrats’ excuse that they inherited a failing economy can’t be used indiscriminately, it should not be forgotten that the recession was years in the making before Obama was inaugurated, and it won’t be fixed in just two.

The simple fact is, there’s very little any president can do to affect economic conditions immediately. In the long-term, however, that’s not the case. Obama made a point of emphasizing his policies already set in place, and how they would affect the nation. He noted that, in fact, he lowered taxes for 95 percent of the nation and retooled the federal student loan infrastructure. He also retook the dialogue on health care, which had been defined as one of those bills “rammed down the throat” of the electorate. But, now that its effects are beginning to be felt across the nation, Democrats have the invaluable power of the anecdote.

Besides the fact that the Congressional Budget Office affirms the health care bill will reduce the federal deficit, Democrats can tout the legislation’s real-life implications. Obama described a previously uninsured woman diagnosed with cancer. She worried whether she would have to spend her children’s college funds just to stay alive. But, thanks to the health care legislation, she was able to get treatment, and her children’s college funds were intact.

That’s a political slam-dunk.

The most impressive bit of Obama’s rhetoric was his “car” metaphor. Describing America as a car that the Republicans had driven into a ditch, he depicted the Democrats pushing it out, while the Republicans stood idly by, refusing to help (sipping Slurpees), but shooting accusations that the Dems were “pushing the wrong way.” Now that the car is out, the Republicans are “asking for the keys back.”

Fully accurate or not, this is an image that resonates. It’s an image that co-opts the Right’s standard “personal responsibility” argument, turning it back on them. It implies that “handing the keys back” will get us right back in the ditch. It’s simple, it’s powerful, and it might just win this election for some Democrats.

It is true that the Republican base is more energized – it would be impossible to ignore that fact. But it is also true that the Republicans are not invulnerable. A recent New York Times/CBS poll found that while 63 percent of Americans disapprove of Democrats in congress, 73 percent disapprove of their Republican counterparts. The same poll found that 30 percent of Independent voters have a negative view of the Tea Party, versus 18 percent who view the party favorably.

The opportunities for Democratic victories are there – the Left just needs to capitalize on them. A properly run national campaign can help bridge the “enthusiasm gap” and mobilize young voters. If Democrats can create their own set of powerful images to counter those from across the aisle, they may yet be able to reframe the political discourse and mobilize the voters they need.

Joel Meyerson ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in communication arts and political science.