Dear Sticky Wicket,
President Barack Obama is our first African-American president. Based upon all the issues he inherited (wars on two fronts, the highest level of national debt, and a very sick economy), do you think he is being judged more harshly than former President George Bush?
~ Alonzo Weston
Barack Obama rode a wave of popularity among blacks and whites to win the presidency in 2008. Now, 19 months after his presidential inauguration, that popularity seems to be waning. Recent polls show that as the economy continues to stagnate and wars still rage overseas, Obama is losing ground among many of his supporters. “For example, President Obama is losing the support of Independents who backed his 2008 campaign.
According to recent combined Associated Press and GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media polls, only 32 percent of Independents say they want Democrats to keep control of Congress in November. That’s a substantial drop compared to the 52 percent of those with no allegiance to either major party who supported Obama over Sen. John McCain two years ago.”
Rewind a few years back to the George W. Bush Administration, and it took him well into his second term to fall into that sort of public disfavor. This huge discrepancy prompts some to believe that Obama is judged more harshly than Bush. Racism seems to be the knee-jerk answer but among a few experts, it’s a more complicated issue.
Gary Kaskowitz, a Pennsylvania marketing professor and author of the book, “Brand It Like Barack! How Barack Obama Sold Himself to America and What You Can Learn From This,” analyzed Obama’s campaign from a marketing perspective.
Kaskowitz says what happened to Obama’s popularity is typical of what happens to all presidents after an election. It becomes more difficult to maintain the image you campaigned on once you become part of the public domain.
“Barack Obama engendered a lot of loyalty and support from voters based on his principles,” he says. “It is my observation that what’s happening with him now is probably more along the lines, in marketing terms, viewed as the perception of delivering on those promises.
Kaskowitz says therefore, he believes it’s less about race than the exceptional job Obama did in marketing himself. “Most voters today are distrustful of Former President George W. Bush President Barack Obama politicians in general. Now that he’s being seen as a typical politician by many of his supporters, he has a difficult sales job ahead of him.”
He adds that ultimately, in order to judge the public view on Bush or Obama, one has to look at the overall environment during their presidency. Bush rode on a wave of patriotism after 9-11, and he began his presidency with a budget surplus. Obama, on the other hand, came into office with two wars already in progress, and the economy in shambles.
“Bush had that patriotism working to his advantage, contextually it was a very good opportunity, however now, we are fragmented, and contextually Obama has a fragmented society,” Kaskowitz explains.
Elaine Fantie Shimberg, a Tampa, FL, based author, thinks that most people aren’t used to having a minority president. She says the same discontent would probably be happening if Hilary Clinton were elected instead of Obama. Shimberg believes there is still a lot of bigotry in this country.
“We had a surplus when Bush came into office, Republicans spent like crazy and no one said much about it,” she adds. “I think Obama has a lot on his plate. If Obama fails, the country fails, and we all must work together for the good of us all.”
Shimberg adds, “It’s time we come together as Americans, not Republicans, Democrats, nor Independents, but simply because we love this country, and want it to survive.”
Donald Mazzella, who has worked as a news journalist for more than 35 years, including a stint covering the White House, and is currently the editorial director for Information Strategies, says he believes that Obama is not being treated as harshly as Bush.
“There is not the level of mean spirited parodies, joke making, or other criticism lobbed at Obama to the extent of his predecessor,” Mazzella says. “Race isn’t even part of the equation in judging both presidents. People judge presidents on their ability to communicate and achieve objectives.”
Comments
Reason for poll results
Today's America is all about immediate gratification. Accordingly, many complain when they are in the immediate throes of pain, and blame anyone around whose in charge then – but don't want to spend the energy to consider how we got there. So the polls are worse now, because the pain is worse since Obama took office, even though the train derailed before that event. My parents experienced The Depression. So many people don't seem to realize how much worse things could have got without the actions Obama's administration took, with the support of Congress.
That being said, I hear many uneducated comments about Obama (the birth certificate thing, the Muslim thing, the socialist thing). They all seem to come from the same people that I've heard spew racist remarks. So, yes, I feel that Obama is judged more harshly because of 1) timing and shallowness and 2) race. It would take a more compex poll to get to the root of the sentiment and determine how much is for one reason as opposed to the other.