>>
nbc news, port-au-prince.
>>>
back here at home,
damage control
tonight at the
white house
.
president obama
is calling on the team that helped put him in the
white house
, and this time the mission is to avoid what some say could be a looming political disaster. nbc's mike viqueira is at the
white house
tonight. mike, good evening.
>>
reporter: good evening,
lester
. as that stunning republican victory on tuesday in massachusetts sinks in and voter anger at washington begins to take root, the president tonight is turning to an old political ally to help turn things around. in the wake of stunning new setbacks, mr.
obama
is now turning to a proven winner,
david plouffe
, chief architect of the historic
2008
obama
election, to put the
white house
back on a campaign footing.
>>
he says he never voted for a republican.
>>
reporter: yesterday in ohio a new approach by the president was already evident.
>>
how are you, sir?
>>
reporter: as his agenda becomes less popular, the president's tone now becomes more populist, confessing friday to losing contact with everyday americans.
>>
the truth is this job is a little confining, and that is frustrating.
>>
reporter: mr.
obama
met with plouffe last tuesday, at the same moment voters were sending republicans
scott brown
to the senate in solidly democratic massachusetts. a new poll out today puts the president's political peril in stark relief. of all voters in tuesday's election, a whopping 63% think the country is on the wrong track. while just 31% believe things are moving in the right direction. and contrary to
white house
claims that the president's
health care
bill had little to do with the results, brown's supporters listed that issue as far and away their biggest concern.
>>
but i've got to admit, we hit a little bit of buzzsaw this week.
>>
reporter: but the president's problems go beyond dimming prospects for his
health care
bill. another potential victim of popular unrest -- fed chairman
ben bernanke
, picked by the president for a second term, now losing support among jittery democrats in the senate who say they will vote no on confirmation. with the political winds rapidly shifting, the stakes for democrats this november could not be higher.
>>
i think the house is in grave danger right now for the democratic control of the house and that while it's hard to see how democrats can lose their majority in the senate, they could lose four, five, six, seven senate seats.
>>
reporter: and,
lester
, the president spent part of his saturday here at the
white house
calling key senators, gaging the prospects for that bernanke confirmation. he's told at the end of the day the confirmation prospects look good and the vote is expected in the senate this coming week.
lester
?
>>
mike, thank you.
>>>
let's briefly bring in john
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