No question but that President Obama is in trouble in the polls.
There are many explanations -- the Republicans see him as big government socialist while many Democrats see him as not going far enough in reforms.
Regardless, there is a long time before the next Presidential election and remember Ronald Reagan slid in the polls even worse than Obama but still recovered for re-election.
And Obama has accomplished a lot (whether that's good or bad depends on your political position):
http://bit.ly/92QhtN
"This month, President Barack Obama signed into law a financial reform bill aimed at preventing another financial crisis. It cost him financial backers on Wall Street, but gave consumers new protections and government more regulatory oversight powers. The financial reform bill came on the heels of the hard-fought health-care reform law, which for the first time provides insurance coverage for all Americans. That in turn followed the successful rescue of the U.S. automotive sector and a massive stimulus bill full of Democratic policy victories, like a huge expansion of federal support for environmentally friendly energy technologies. In his first year and a half in office, Obama put the first Latina on the Supreme Court and is on track to have three women on the top court for the first time in U.S. history. He reached an arms control deal with the Russians and picked up a Nobel Peace Prize. It's been decades since any president has accomplished so much so quickly—and all this without headlines about West Wing interns".
3 comments:
Obama came to office amidst an economic shit storm.
TARP had to be passed unless you were okay with a financial system in tatters.
Health Care reform was needed unless you think denying someone care on the basis of pre-existing conditions is okay.
Financial reform is probably the weakest of his reforms but it's there.
Personally, I would rather see a retreat from Afghanistan as it's a no win situation.
When he came to office he had the highest expectations in modern history (high 70's).
People are stressed but not stupid.
When you have the GOP voting against the best form of stimulus, unemployment benefits because there are no corresponding budget cuts, you may be tempted to think they have a point.
But when they happily endorse military spending and advocate for the continuation of the deficit causing Bush tax cuts without the same need for spending cuts in the budget, you clearly see them playing to form.
Obama isn't perfect but as long as the GOP is the opposition, I'll put my chips in Obama's corner.
Obama has actually accomplished quite a bit. Like Ignatieff, he lacks the leadership qualities that translate his achievements and agenda to the country as a whole.
Leadership is half the game of public approval. The other half is PR. Neither politician seems to recognize the importance of presenting an 'image' of strength, aggressive handling of issues and a 'can do' attitude.
Obama, unlike Reagan has the benefit of a fawning mainstream media. I think of the difference if Reagan had the benefit of the internet and one balanced news network.
As a related note, Obama called African Americans a "mongrel people" today. If a Republican said that, it would be career ending.
Post a Comment