Labor Day is upon us marking both the unofficial end of summer and the start of the fall campaign season. All indications are that the voters are prepared to do the same thing they did in 2006 and 2008, vote against the party in power.

The economic environment is hurting the Democrats, but so is their perceived response to it. While voters believe cutting government spending and reducing taxes would help the economy, most also believe that Democrats in Congress want to raise taxes and increase government spending. Most voters also continue to favor repeal of the recently passed Health Care Law.

After rejecting both political parties in recent years, voters strongly believe that Congress should be required to ask permission before changing social security or raising taxes. The idea of a voter referendum on key issues may be one way to help the federal government regain the consent of the governed. Voters also believe that voter approval should be required for any Congressional pay raises. Seventy-five percent (75%) believe Congress should cut its own pay until the federal budget is balanced.

Looking at the overall environment, a commentary By Larry J. Sabato projects the Republicans will gain 47 seats in the House, 8 or 9 Senate seats, and 8 Governorships. A commentary by Michael Barone describes the mood as “Down with Big Government, Down with Big Business, and Down with Big Labor.”

Just 29% now say the U.S. is generally heading in the right direction but the president’s Job Approval remains stable. A Month-by-Month review of his numbers shows President Obama earning a 46% or 47% Job Approval rating every month for nine consecutive months. Despite the stunning upset in a Massachusetts Senate race, the passage of a health care law, the Gulf Oil Spill, economic concerns and other issues, attitudes about the president have remained broadly unchanged.

The same cannot be said, however, for the president’s political party. The number of people who identify themselves as Democrats has fallen by seven percentage points since Obama took office. Currently, 35.0% say they’re Democrats and 33.8% identify with the GOP. That gap between the parties is the smallest measured in five years. In the summer of 2008, the Democrats enjoyed a double-digit advantage.

A new book by Scott Rasmussen and Doug Schoen addresses the broader discontent roiling the political landscape this year. MAD AS HELL: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System , published by Harper-Collins, will be released September 14. It can be pre-ordered at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Borders, and other outlets.

Thirty-eight percent (38%) of voters say that most judges are too liberal while 18% say too conservative.

On the economic front, the Rasmussen Employment Index showed little change in August. Nineteen percent (19%) of workers say their firms are hiring while 25% report layoffs.

Forty percent (40%) report that they’re paying more for gas than they did six months ago. Still, that’s a drop of 30-percentage points since March. Sixty-one percent (61%) still favor offshore oil drilling and 53% support deep water drilling. A solid majority continues to believe that finding new sources of energy is more important than conservation.

There was plenty of Election 2010 news last week--

Alaska Senate: Miller (R) 50% McAdams (D) 44%

Colorado Governor: All Candidates Losing Ground While Hickenlooper (D) Still Leads

Nevada Senate: Angle (R) 45% Reid (D) 45%

Ohio Governor: Kasich (R) 47% Strickland (D) 39%

Massachusetts Governor: Patrick (D) 39% Baker (R) 34% Cahill (I) 18%

Florida Governor: Scott (R) 45% Sink (D) 44%

Washington Senate: Rossi (R) 48% Murray (D) 46%

Pennsylvania Senate: Toomey (R) 45% Sestak (D) 39%

Colorado Senate: Buck (R) 47% Bennet (D) 44%

Ohio Senate: Portman (R) 44% Fisher (D) 39%

Arizona Governor: Brewer 57% Goddard 38%

Idaho Governor: Otter (R) 52%, Allred (D) 36%

Alaska Governor: Parnell (R) 53% Berkowitz (D) 43%

Louisiana Senate: Vitter (R) 54% Melancon (D) 33%

Oklahoma Senate: Coburn (R) 67%, Rogers (D) 24%

South Carolina Senate: DeMint (R) 63%, Greene (D) 19%

In a state without a statewide election this year, New Jersey still managed to make some news. New Jersey lost a state education grant due to a mistake on the application. Forty-nine percent (49%) blame the Education Commissioner while 33% blame Governor Chris Christie. In other New Jersey news, the state’s voters overwhelmingly believe that the TV show “Jersey Shore” is bad for the state’s image.

In other news, hardly anybody is cutting back on buying eggs following a major recall. Twenty percent (20%) say news of bedbugs has caused them to change plans along the way.

As always, we invite you to check out the benefits of Platinum Membership and visit the Rasmussen Reports home page for the latest current events polling. If it’s in the news, it’s in our polls.