Obama retools message for re-election bid
By: Brian Hughes 04/16/11 8:05 PM
Examiner Staff Writer Follow Him @BrianHughes_
President Obama, who rode a wave of hope and a promise of change into office, now must convince voters it would be hopeless to bring more change to the White House.
Making his first official pitch as a candidate last week, Obama's oratory resembled that of a weathered politician, framing himself as the pragmatic voice in a highly charged partisan environment that could devolve into chaos without adult supervision.
"Some of the excitement of something entirely new is not going to be there, and I've got some dents and dings in the fender," he told supporters in Chicago. "But that vision hasn't changed. What we care about hasn't changed. Our commitments should not have changed."
The political mood has certainly changed, however.
Running as much against then-President George W. Bush as Republican Sen. John McCain in 2008, Obama's campaign was bolstered by both an unpopular president and financial meltdown on the eve of a paradigm-shifting election. Two years after Obama moved into the White House, however, Republicans dealt the president what he called a "shellacking" in the congressional elections, making the electoral map far less navigable for Democrats.
Preparing now for re-election, Obama's approval ratings are at their lowest point since he took office, polls show. And, perhaps more vexing for the president, his support among independent voters, so crucial to his success in 2008, has dropped.
Reflecting that shift, Obama's political operation is being recalibrated to win back those independents.
Susan MacManus, a political scientist at the University of South Florida, said this time around the man who made hope and change his campaign mantra is more likely to be preaching patience. "I told you it would take a while; we're making progress; stick with me" is a likely message, she said.
This time around, Obama will be forced to defend his record and unable to rely on soaring rhetoric alone to mobilize voters.
Lincoln Mitchell of Columbia University's Harriman Institute said the last two years were a dose of reality for liberals who turned out in waves in 2008: "He's just a president, not a messiah."
"Of course, he's going to be unable to generate the same level of excitement," Mitchell said. "In reality, it's going to come down to who can control the [political] middle. Obama is going to be in far better position to make that argument. It's hard to imagine Republicans convincing people of that."
White House officials are banking that the Republican who challenges Obama - whoever that is - will be forced to move so far right during the primary campaign that disillusioned independents will have no one but Obama to support.
Democratic consultant Garry South said Obama has several advantages. The GOP takeover of the House gives the president a clear ideological foil against which to run and the hesitancy of Republicans to enter the race could prove advantageous. And then there is Obama's well-oiled fundraising machine, he said.
"The million-pound gorilla in the room is that Barack Obama is probably going to raise a billion dollars to run for president," he said. "My God -- it's April in a pre-election year -- what are these people waiting for? They're running against an incumbent who raised more money than any candidate in history and they're just now forming exploratory committees?"
bhughes@washingtonexaminer.com
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