Obama struggles to hit right note

The White House has launched “Recovery Summer,” whose central message to Americans appears to be, “We know you're still suffering, but things could have been worse.”

In an event aimed at reminding voters of the administration's earlier successes, Obama will visit auto plants in Michigan on Friday to tout the thousands of jobs that were saved in his taxpayer bailout of automakers in 2009.

But, with millions of Americans still out of work, voters are in no mood to give Obama credit for past achievements even though many economists agree his US$862 billion stimulus package was crucial in turning around the economy after the 2007-2009 financial meltdown under his predecessor George W. Bush.

Economists and political analysts say Obama will struggle between now and congressional midterm elections in November to change Americans' perceptions when the unemployment rate is 9.5 percent and house and stock prices have yet to regain their pre-crisis levels.

The White House's focus on selling the benefits of Obama's stimulus measures enacted in 2009 is a sign that it accepts there is little new it can do to quickly bring down the high unemployment rate.

“There is not a heck of a lot he can do other than to say if we hadn't done this, things would have been worse,” said Stephen Wayne, a professor of American government at Georgetown University who is completing a book on Obama.

Despite major legislative victories that will lead to sweeping overhauls of the ailing U.S. healthcare system and the way Wall Street does business, Obama's public approval rating is steadily dropping, a bad omen for fellow Democrats heading into tough congressional elections in November.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday showed satisfaction with Obama's management of the economy has eroded steeply and his approval rating has dropped to 48 percent.

Obama Criticized

“Presidents, fairly or unfairly, take responsibility for conditions on the ground,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office under President Bush and now head of a conservative think tank.

“That is good news when the economy is booming, bad news if it's not, even if you've done everything you think you can to improve it. It is part and parcel of the job.”

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