O Positive

I've been surprised at President Obama's continuing popularity.  Not that he's highly popular, but that his support seems to have stabilized around the mid-40s.  You'd think with continuing high unemployment, the kind we haven't seen in three quarters of a century, he'd have dropped into the 30s by now.

I suppose it's because the economy was in serious decline before he took office, so a lot of people aren't ready for him to own it.  Also, a fair amount of his support is solid no matter what (though that may be true of any president). Furthermore, he gets decent coverage and hasn't done any big things to tick people off since the last election.

Obama himself predicts the next election will be a referendum on his first term.  Hard to argue with that.  As he puts it, the people

don't expect everything to be solved overnight.  They do expect that their president's going to be thinking about them every single day and going to be focused on how do we win the future. And if next November they feel like I've been on their side and I've been working as hard as I can and have been getting some things done to move us in the right direction, I'll win. If they don't, then I'll lose.

Well, I guess he has to say things won't be solved overnight, since the nagging unemployment that started on his watch hasn't been solved at all.  But the part that annoys me, and annoyed me when Bush and Clinton talked the same way, is the emphasis on people believing he cares about them and that he's working hard.  No need to work hard, just do what needs to be done.  In fact, don't work so hard, it may be clouding your judgment.  As far as thinking about us citizens every day, I'd rather you not care at all and just do the right thing--so you'll be reelected, or so history will treat you well, or so you'll win that bet you made with Biden.  Caring more won't make make you any better at solving our problems.

And please stop saying "winning the future" or any variation.