A PERSONAL FAILURE - AT 11:48 P.M. ET:  The press and broadcast outlets are filled with analysis of why the president is suddenly doing so poorly.  All presidents, of course, go through bad patches, but what is happening to Mr. Obama is extraordinary.  Disagreement with his policies has turned to visceral anger, and some of that anger is directed against a man who, only months ago, was considered a modern Mr. Congeniality.  Fred Barnes, in the Weekly Standard, hits it on the head: 

For Obama, there's still worse news. Not only has he lost ground, but public support for his health care proposal has collapsed to the point that a majority of Americans prefer no reform at all to his plan. And the more he stumps for it, the less support it attracts. Rather than a peripheral phenomenon, the noisy opposition in congressional town hall meetings turns out to be a reflection of the deep national suspicion of Obamacare.

Two conclusions are inescapable. The first is that Obama is not Mr. Persuasive, a compelling orator like FDR, swaying public opinion with his words. Quite the contrary, he has failed to sustain public backing for his economic stimulus package, his decision to shut down Guantánamo, his proposed spending, the takeover of General Motors, bailouts in general, and now health care reform.

And...

The second conclusion to draw is that Obama has been dragged down by his health care policy. The more he's identified himself with it, the less the public likes him. There's nothing irrational about this. Why should people without a partisan allegiance to Obama hang with him when they dislike his signature policy? There's no good reason.

Besides, it shows the public is paying serious attention to a national issue. This doesn't happen often. Democrats and Obamaphiles may not like the drift of the debate over health care, but it was Obama who prompted it. Now it's exposed his lack of persuasiveness.

COMMENT:  Hmm.  That's not a great recommendation to a college of Obama's choice.  Ironically, the very characteristic that propelled Obama to power - his ability to make a good speech - is now hurting him.  It's hurting him because, as president, he's not as good at it as he was when a candidate.  And it's hurting him because it's overused.  As Barnes points out:

In our televised age, the public quickly grows tired of political leaders. When Obama spent a half inning in the broadcast booth at the baseball All-Star game in St. Louis on July 14, he was pressing his luck. Americans routinely boo politicians when they're introduced at sports events, where they don't belong. This is a healthy habit that Obama and his entourage may be unaware of.

Well said.

August 22, 2009