The sudden search for unity could not come at a better time for President Obama.
He’s riding into next week’s State of the Union Address in the wake of rising approval ratings.
In a year of low and lower lows, the Arizona shooting may have been Mr. Obama’s blessing in disguise. Post-Arizona Memorial polls look a lot different than polls at the end of 2010.
Last week the United States was a country in mourning.
Democrats, Republicans, Independents – everyone was looking for comfort and the public seems to have embraced the new administration tone with open arms.
At the State of the Union lawmakers have even promised an unprecedented move- literally. Republicans and Democrats have promised they will sit together in a symbolic gesture of unity.
So as Republicans and Democrats move to the middle of the House of Representatives Chamber so President Obama moves into a more moderate agenda.
The nationally televised Arizona speech gave the President a chance to restore the national unity he exuded during the 2008 presidential campaign.
But many wonder if the turn around will be enough. Only one month ago Obama’s approval ratings had dipped to record lows.
In December some political analysts predicted a second term would be very difficult if not impossible for Mr. Obama.
Washington correspondent Steven Thomma of McClatchy newspapers reported that Afghanistan plans and economy woes among other things had weathered the public’s patience to a cooling 47 percent approval rating - a percentage lower than any other U.S. President.
After a radical party shift on Capitol Hill the Obama administration made several victories uncharacteristic of a lame-duck congress. They moved on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and buckled down on the Health Care law among other things.
But, in a couple days President Obama will speak to a very different congress, and a shrunken Democratic buffer.
He’s facing a vendetta situation around “Obamacare,” and a Republican congress promising to cut spending by more than $100 billion.
He’ll also have to address rising unemployment, housing foreclosures, bank bailouts and health care- not to mention a weathered American public.
According to Associated Press research there are 2.8 million fewer jobs since Obama took office. And while the Obama administration lauds 1.1 million new jobs last year, unemployment rates hit 9.4 percent this year.
As for foreclosures, people have seen the aftermath every day. Shuttered homes and bankrupting citizens are the thorns in the side of the public.
Foreclosures are at record 1 million from last year, and economists say they’ll probably get worse in 2011.
Former government official, Bill Gaston told the AP he admired how Obama has managed to stabilize the economy, but somethings just are not running smoothly.
“I don’t think they ever fully got their arms around the factors that were contributing to such an appalling rate of foreclosures and I don’t think they’ve done it yet,” the former Clinton Administration official says he’s seen it happen before.
But others say President Obama deserves to be optimistic. It’s part of a successful shift in the political center.
The Wall Street Journal reported that after the Arizona speech 40% of Americans view Mr. Obama as moderate. That figure is up 10 whole percentage points from a year ago.
And the good news for President Obama is no one has stood up to say they’ll defeat him.
Bill McInturff, a Republican political pollster for NBC agrees.
“If there’s a winning coalition against Obama, it’s not anywhere close to forming,” says McInturff.
But the president still has plenty to worry about and if he’s planning on drumming up a re-election he’ll have to convince a weary American public he’s the man for the job.
Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords is off the ventilator and with her, the country is taking a collective deep breath. Whether the President can keep the country calm for more than a hiccup is worth waiting until Tuesday for.
