After setbacks this fall, some Democratic strategists argued that the political environment is not anti-Democratic, but anti-incumbent. And for much of the year, Republicans' poll numbers have been worse than that of Democrats. But that appears to be changing.

** In a CNN poll, 40 percent say the country would be better off with Democrats in charge of Congress, while 39 percent say Republicans. In a previous survey conducted mid-summer, Democrats had a 10-point advantage on that question. At the start of the year, the margin was 56-31 in favor of the Democrats.

** In a Quinnipiac survey, voters now give similar grades to Republicans and Democrats in Congress: 30 percent approve of the GOP, while 33 percent approve of Democrats. That is down from a high of 45 percent for Democrats in March, while the GOP number has largely held steady, if not ticked slightly upward.

** In a new McClatchy/Ipsos poll, 51 percent view the Democratic Party favorably, while 46 view it unfavorably. That's down from a 61/34 split in November 2008. The GOP still has a negative net-approval, with a 44/54 split, but that's improved from 36/58 in last November. And in a series of questions on specific issues, Republican numbers are up while Democrats' are down, in some cases rather significantly.

** A new Bloomberg poll shows the GOP's net favorable rating is now -5, while the Democratic party's rating is +3. In a generic ballot test, the GOP leads 42-38.

That's quite a bit of data confirming that Republicans, after hitting bottom, are on the rebound, while Democrats are feeling the heat as the party in power.