In 2008, candidate Obama famously dodged a serious question by telling America that the question was simply “above [his] pay grade.” Three years into his Presidency, voters around the country are clearly voicing their opinion that being held accountable for the failing economy is not above his pay grade. Even in California, perhaps America’s last bastion of liberalism, voters are finally turning on Obama.
Around the country, the numbers all point to Obama losing in next year’s Presidential election. Generic Republicans beat him in polling match ups. Following Democrats’ loss of the House last year, Republicans just won a special election for a seat in New York that they haven’t held since 1923. Perhaps the most telling number, unemployment is above 9% (with no real improvement in sight) and no President has won re-election with unemployment above 8%.
In California, however, a majority of voters have stood by Obama. For most of this year, a strong majority of voters approved of Obama’s job performance. Now suddenly, Obama’s ratings took a sharp turn for the worse and, for the first time, less than a majority of voters in California approve of his job performance – just 46% to be specific.
Given that the economy has not changed much over the last year, the question could be asked: Why have California voters suddenly turned on Obama?
First, the economy has been stagnant for a long time and it is wearing more and more on voters. Prosperity is usually the number one issue in presidential politics. Most Americans and even Californians now accept that none of Obama’s much-heralded programs have improved people’s fortunes. Worse yet, they don’t have much confidence in the future as reflected by low consumer confidence numbers.
The recent turn, however, reflects three things: (1) months of Obama blaming others; (2) months of Obama looking indecisive; and (3) the fact that Obama is out of ideas.
It is well chronicled how Obama has blamed everything from tsunamis to Congress for the nation’s economic troubles. That may work for a year or two, but after three years it starts to fall flat and doesn’t look Presidential.
Recently, Obama was marginalized during the debt ceiling debate. He never gave a proposal of his own and let others lead on the issue. Americans expect more from a President.
After an unsatisfactory end to the debate, Obama then held a huge birthday party for himself. Not long after that, Obama went on vacation and told the country that his next speech on a job’s plan would have to wait for his vacation at Martha’s Vineyard to be over – as if their economic condition was secondary to his comfort.
As for his plan? There was nothing particularly new – and people needed to see something new.
In the final analysis, the buck stops with the President on the economy. It IS his pay grade. Blaming others may be expedient, but for the unemployed it is unpersuasive after three years and will be continue to be on Election Day.
In California, where rationality doesn’t always win out, we are facing record poverty levels. Homeowners have lost close to $2 trillion in homeowner equity in the last 4 years. Like the rest of the Country, Californians want answers. They want a roadmap to the future. The latest polling also shows, like the rest of the nation, they are also starting to demand accountability from Obama.
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