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Is 'Obama fatigue' setting in?
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Candidate
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Contributor | Jason |
Last Edited | Jason Jan 25, 2010 11:22pm |
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Category | Commentary |
Author | Steven Hill |
News Date | Tuesday, January 26, 2010 05:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
Description | President Barack Obama is approaching the first anniversary of his inauguration, and already signs of "Obama fatigue" are evident. Over the holidays, one tends to spend a lot of time with relatives and old friends, oftentimes gathered around the television. So when the president's happy or frowning visage comes on the tube, one can gauge the gut-level reactions.
My family and friends run the gamut of the political spectrum, so they form my own little focus group. The moderates and conservatives are both Republican and Democrat, and most of them actually voted for Obama, convinced by the candidate's soaring rhetoric and his elderly opponent John McCain's creaky appearance that the first black president in American history should be given a chance. Yet when Obama's face came on the tube, every one of them now reacted negatively.
Some shook their heads, kind of smirking. Others were more visceral in their grimaces and body language. They voiced the usual conservative talking points about "big government takeover," but they also complained about the bailout of wealthy bank executives and auto companies while "the little guy" suffered. Some agreed that financial re-regulation was necessary, not only over the conservative punching bags of Fannie and Freddie Mac but also reinstatement of Glass-Steagall restrictions between investment and commercial banks.
"Make banking boring again," one said. I even detected an openness among some to try liberal solutions like the public option. |
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