Remember back in 2008 when it was cool to say “Yes We Can” or place a “Change” bumper sticker on your laptop? How about watching eccentric hip-hopper Will.I.Am’s “Yes We Can” video? It was viewed over 23 million times on YouTube and seemed to make its way onto everyone’s facebook and twitter pages.
Wasn’t to long ago that Obama was the cool guy everyone wanted to be associated with. He was on the cover of Ebony magazine in black shades with a headline that read “Black Cool.” Time, Essence, GQ, Vibe, Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Newsweek and a myriad of magazine covers showcased just how large the Obama brand had become.
Then once his Presidency took off and he started to form a record the Obama brand cooled. His approval rating tanked and he just wasn’t as fresh as he was before. There was the debt ceiling decision, his conclusion on the Bush tax cuts, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and his up and down relationship with the Congressional Black Caucus. The unemployment rate stayed steady at nine percent, Republicans seemed to have his number and he started to look like a light in the pants wimp president.
Then things started to turn for Mr. Obama over the past couple of months. He started to get tough with Republicans, instead of negotiating with them he elected to take a hard stand for his policies and his base. It seemed that he found the guts and glory that so many on the left wanted him to and he started to push back against Congressional Republicans.
Obama was able to get a deal on an extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits before Congress took off for the holiday.
Because of his diligence and fight for the extension the American public gave him a little good news. For the first time in five months Obama’s positives outweigh his negatives. His plus rating is 47 percent and his negative sits at 45 percent. What a great way to bring in the new year for the Obama White House, eh?
But how long will this brand re-recognition last? Better yet, if Obama is re-elected will we see this same type of fight over the next four years? What has become apparent is that President Obama is more calculating than anything else. It seems that he tests the political waters before making a decision.
My fear is that because Obama is up for re-election he is showing how much he is willing to fight. But if he is lucky enough to receive a second term we may see the old Obama that we aren’t to fond of. The gentleman who seemed to be used as a door mat by House and Senate Republicans on their way to shaping America’s social and financial future.
If this Obama stays, the one who can not only show that he is the smartest one in the room but prove it as well, then the brand should be here to stay for good. If not then my 2012 Obama t-shirt just may find itself in the back of my closet with my Kerry/Edwards paraphernalia as well as my Dukakis in ’88 tank toy.
-JH
