With approval ratings that are still relatively high, it is interesting to me that polls such as the one Fox News released last week are making such a splash on blogs and cable news channels. Never mind, though, approval ratings don’t matter until the election anyway. What’s more intriguing are the persistent and opposing narratives of Obama as both brutal tyrant and weak-handed leader simultaneously.
I disagree with both of these points. As mentioned on this blog a few times before, Obama has proven himself as an effective, forward-thinking, and pragmatic political player. It seems I am not the only one. Andrew Sullivan’s latest column for the Times directly addresses this issue.
And he has framed the debate so that the Republicans find themselves as their own worst enemies. Support for Obama’s health reform was sliding until August’s right-wing temper tantrum. Since then, his approval ratings on the issue have steadily climbed, and Democrats are increasing their lead in congressional polling.
Like Sullivan, I am also still wondering about whether the president can successfully overcome the risks involved, but that remains to be seen.
