Why Doesn’t America Dislike Obama?

Posted by Andrew Tobolowsky on 03.11.2009

High approval rating, etc.

We're in big trouble, economically. Most news stations, even the liberal ones, have grave concerns about the stimulus plan. And yet, the prime architect of the plan sits at 61% approval rating, even a little higher than Reagan's was at the same time. It doesn't seem to make sense.

And yet, I think it does. The opponents of the plan have massively mismanaged the attack against it.
For starters, the prime complaint against the plan is that it will land us in massive debt. This is the Hannity attack, the John McCain attack, etc.

But it's probably the stupidest attack I've ever heard. I mean come the hell on. There are shady political ways to pretend that certain things are not facts. But nobody on Earth, even in the Christmas Islands, has failed to notice that nobody COULD be worse for the deficit than recent Republican presidents. It TRIPLED under Reagan. It went absolutely nuts under Bush II. And now they suddenly care about the debt?

Nobody who is not so stupid as to believe any propaganda whatever, could possibly be so stupid as to fall for that one. Seriously. There was a slight surplus under Clinton. You blow up the debt, and you blow up the debt, and then you're like OMG DEBT?...right.

Two, it's probably not the Republicans fault but they keep picking the wrong things in the bill to attack. There was that super highway to Las Vegas that they were so upset about which, it turns out, wasn't actually in the bill. There was Bobby Jindal going on national television to complain that the bailout was expending "pork" money for "something called volcano monitoring".

Again, come on. There has to be lots of weak sauce in this bill. You think most people are so dumb they don't think "volcano monitoring" could potentially be important? Hell, we've all seen Dante's peak. Be smart and pick something that really is pork. Unless it's not there! In which case, you'd be better off just shutting it.

Three, you'd think the Democratic obnoxiousness in the Senate would bleed over to Obama. Does anyone like Pelosi and Reid?

But, again, it appears not so. Hey, they were already a problem before the man got there. I'm just the messenger—but it's my sense that America has chosen to see them, not as Democrats just like the President, but as annoying human beings working AGAINST another human being. If we ever wanted to achieve a post-party state, unlikely as it is that we ever will, the fact that Pelosi, especially, is so generally loathed pretty much removes her from the whole party business. In public perception, I mean.

Four, You'd think Wall Street's continued collapse would, as Republicans are insisting it should, reflect on Obama's plan.

But it just doesn't. Hey, America feels completely screwed by Wall Street. They're not about to LISTEN to Wall Street now. Nor is it particularly clear, given the black voodoo magic that is economics, that any kind of bailout plan would make Wall Street magically work again. Sorry guys, Joe Six Pack---if he isn't too busy plumbing or complaining about Socialism or whatever--isn't ABOUT to start listening to Wall Street.

Five, whether it was the fault of Republicans or not you can't really blame normal, rational human beings for feeling that as, indisputably, the Republicans have been in charge for eight years that ended in a terrible economic collapse---well maybe they've lost a little of their economic credibility. The same way that even if it was my instruments that went out, if I was flying the plane it'd be unlikely that anybody would be real thrilled to take my flying advice. Saying the economy sucked BAD under Republicans is not the same thing as saying the economy sucked bad BECAUSE of the Republicans--I'll leave that to economic experts--but hey, you know the ol' country saw: Correlation implies causality. You were there when the manure hit the windmill. Bad luck or bad judgment, you've still got poop on your hands.

And, six, while in a sense it's a principled stand, in a city that's so often devoid of principles, despite the initial popular uproar at the bailout, governors and senators standing up against money that is typically going to unemployment and that kind of thing is not going to win you a lot of fans or converts. America liked it, I think, when Republicans stood up against money going to huge companies. But standing in the way of the money going to people who've been laid off? Again, it's not whether it's a smart idea or dumb idea it's that it LOOKS like a dumb idea.

Now look lads. I am not trying to tell you what's true or false. I'm trying to explain public opinion, which doesn't necessarily pay attention to facts. And this? This is mostly luck. I don't believe anyone knows how to fix the economy for sure. People could easily have panicked and blamed Obama, they could hold him to judgment for the fact that Wall Street has yet to responded. But they haven't. So far, that's just true. And the attacks against him? Typically inept.

And to me that's no bad thing. No matter how you feel about Obama, we do have almost four full years more of the guy. The juice that makes the economy work again? No one knows what that is. But investor confidence helps. Confidence in the president, helps. The feeling that things are going to be okay? Helps a lot.

And the fact is that the Republicans don't have the numbers to do anything and the rest of us can't either. I'm not saying Republicans should sit down and shut up. I think there are legitimate complaints that will help make this thing work. Hey, I'm not going to tell Republicans what to do.

But a little hope, right now? Could go a long, long way.