Axelrod: Republicans 'rooting for failure'

White House senior adviser David Axelrod told The Hill on Wednesday that the Republican Party will not be rewarded in the mid-term elections this year if it is "rooting for failure."

Asked how to define success at the polls this November, Axelrod said, "Structurally, it is a challenging year, both because of the number of seats we have to defend and the natural mid-year effect, compounded by the impacts of the recession.  But I believe we will have a strong case to make about the leadership the President’s provided in a difficult time, and vision for rebuilding America’s strength for the future.  And to the extent the Republican Party is seen as sitting on the sidelines, rooting for failure, I don’t think they will be rewarded."