It’s a fact: Obama’s back.

our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term in office.

--Mitch McConnell, GOP Senate Leader, 11.3.10

The president’s poll ratings are back in positive territory, after having been upside down for 10 months. According to the “RealClear Politics” average, Obama’s job approval rating of 49% exceeds his 46% disapproval rating, putting his performance right side up once again. Also, historically, presidents with job approval ratings below 47% don’t get re-elected. Obama’s 49% approval rating is back in the re-elect range for the first time since last May.

It may be that politics gives a party one day to celebrate, then reality begins to turn on the winner. For two years leading up to November 2010, the country had one party to blame for our troubles—the party of Obama, Pelosi, and Reid. Democrats couldn’t perform, and blameless Republicans won big. Now Republicans are part of the problem, and a carping, negative part at that.

Also, the Obama voters who stayed home in 2010 will be back in 2012, voting in a presidential year, which stacks the deck for Obama the same way lower turnout helped Republicans in 2010.

Obama benefits from being “president of all of us” in the aftermath of the Tucson Massacre, and will benefit again from his State of the Union speech 11 days from now. Mitch McConnell and other Republican leaders have their work cut out for them, if they are to block Obama’s re-election next year.