harder when he's already got 59 democrats. he still can't get the super majority of 60. it'll be that much harder to get his agenda through. john, kiran? >> well, it'll be a tough one on the road today. thanks so much. >> let's get a check of some of the other stories crossing the cnn political ticker this morning. our senior political editor mark preston live at the cnnpolitics.com desk for us. what have you got this morning, mark? >> well, as ed just said, democrats are concerned about the midterm elections and that's why we're seeing president obama on the trail. part of the reason is the enthusiasm by the tea party. what do americans think of the tea party? we asked the question, what is your opinion of the tea party in this new cnn opinion research corporation poll. well, americans are split, 43% say the tea party is too extreme while 41% say it's in the mainstream. but let's take the question a little bit farther. how influential is the tea party? are you more likely to vote for