A Presidential Preview
June 13, 2011 - by
President Obama’s visit to the Triangle today is a taste of what’s to come: a presidential race that turns on jobs and North Carolina.
(I told one TV reporter he’s in for a good year: “You’ll have a lot to cover, and your station will sell a lot of ads.” It will be a 17-month orgy for us political junkies.)
I’m not sold on the conventional wisdom that unemployment has to reach some magic number – 7 percent or whatever – for Obama to be reelected. That’s historical coincidence.
What counts is psychology, not numbers. Do North Carolinians – and Americans – feel next summer that things are getting better or worse? Beyond that, do they think it’s all Obama’s fault, or do they think he’s still trying to clean up the mess the Republicans made – and over their obstructionism? And, most of all, do they think Obama or the Republicans offer the best hope for the future?
A Presidential Preview
June 13, 2011/
President Obama’s visit to the Triangle today is a taste of what’s to come: a presidential race that turns on jobs and North Carolina.
(I told one TV reporter he’s in for a good year: “You’ll have a lot to cover, and your station will sell a lot of ads.” It will be a 17-month orgy for us political junkies.)
I’m not sold on the conventional wisdom that unemployment has to reach some magic number – 7 percent or whatever – for Obama to be reelected. That’s historical coincidence.
What counts is psychology, not numbers. Do North Carolinians – and Americans – feel next summer that things are getting better or worse? Beyond that, do they think it’s all Obama’s fault, or do they think he’s still trying to clean up the mess the Republicans made – and over their obstructionism? And, most of all, do they think Obama or the Republicans offer the best hope for the future?