Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., poor-mouthed President Obama’s ability to excite voters this election year, admitting that Obama “has lost some of the magic” of 2008.

Yarmuth refused to dismiss as “baloney” the idea that Obama has an enthusiasm problem, saying he’d “be lying” if he didn’t admit that he hears about disenchantment with the president when he visits his district in Kentucky.

“I think that the president has lost some of the magic that he had four years ago, but I think the Republican Party has lost as much enthusiasm through this primary and with this nominee,” Yarmuth told Talk Radio News Service today. “I don’t think there’s a ton of excitement on either side, but I think we’re starting to gain a lot more traction than Republicans are.”

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Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, D-N.C., made a similar point, telling local media, “I don’t think you see quite the enthusiasm you saw in 2008.”

“I don’t think it’s necessarily a lack of enthusiasm for the president or the Democrats,” Yarmuth also said. “We are in a period of frustration. People don’t know whom to believe. There is a credibility gap throughout the country that is far more than politics.”