Tuesday, April 28, 2009

100 Days Press Conference

While his approval numbers remain relatively stable at around 62%, President Obama is again taking to the airwaves this week to mark his first 100 "historic" days in office.  Certainly more than his predecessor, Obama has taken to using the primetime presser as a means of dictating the narrative of his efforts.  His approval numbers are important in understanding why it's still useful.  If 62% of Americans still think he's doing well, the intrusion into our regularly scheduled program should prompt little backlash.  And, as opposed to President Bush, Obama's strength is his speaking (off teleprompter).  Two predictions, One: the viewer numbers will plummet from his previous primetime appearances.  Two, following Emanuel's Doctrine of "not letting a crisis go to waste", Obama will attempt to pair the swine flu scare with healthcare reform.  

1 comment:

  1. I saw Dick Morris on the Fox morning show this AM, and he had a terrific point about Obama's high poll numbers: he said it's kind of like a new marriage. After 100 days you're still going to naturally want to see the best in your partner, and "hope" for a success. Despite their bad "habits" or poor decisions you are likely to still give him/her the benefit of the doubt because the marriage is still new and fresh and their success is directly proportional to your success. Similar to the traditional honeymoon period in politics, but slightly different. This is why Obama's personal poll numbers can still be so high, while the support for his POLICIES is declining, fairly rapidly.

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