Eight months on, what's your mood?

It's not a poll about specifics, it's just an attempt to gauge - in a very sweeping way - DU's general mood about this administration eight months in and whether you are optimistic or pessimistic about it being a success (ie successfully addressing the issues that matter most to you).

It's mostly liberal, Democratic support that he's losing at this stage. That says a lot. I am becoming more and more pessimistic.

:dem:

-Laelth

he came in at like 70%. That's pretty amazing. He's hovering now around 56%, last I heard. That's also pretty amazing. Remember, the last guy was running around at 22%, and even Clinton seems to have averaged ten points lower than Obama.

His numbers have dropped, but just remember how freaking high they started from. I feel that the old numbers were just an artificial high from people realizing Bush was gone, more than anything relating to Obama. Now that the euphoria has passed and things have gotten down to real politics, he's still running strong. People just aren't naming their babies Barack, is all.

Lower than 56%, I think, but still pretty high.

All the same, it's amongst Democrats and liberals that he has lost support recently. That explains the high number of "pessimistic" responses you see above. I hope the President is getting the message. His base is not particularly happy with him at the moment.

:dem:

-Laelth

"He didn't immediately give me what I wanted, so I hate him!" is the standard of the day. I personally think many of my fellow liberals don't quite "get" the way our system works - that is, it's stacked to favor the status quo.

Speaking for myself, I am quite aware that the system favors the status quo. All the same, I am loathe to see Democrats change the status quo in favor of the very corporate interests I elected them to fight. I would rather them do nothing than continue to pass laws that favor corporate interests, and yet, that is exactly what I am seeing. I feel justified in my pessimism when the Democratic Party, rather than just maintaining the status quo, passes laws that actually improve the positions of corporate interests.

That's what I am seeing now, and that might explain why Obama's popularity has plummeted amongst Democrats and liberals.

:dem:

-Laelth

Such milquetoast selections!

;-)

It's like being on a seesaw sometimes.

I don't how the new health care plan will turn out.

President Obama said gay rights issues would be addressed by the end of his term, I expect this to come to pass.

There does not seem to be any clear plan in Afghanistan, I personally find this to be troublesome. I am wondering what will happen in the next couple of years.

I expect the U.S. to be out of Iraq, with the exception of some training forces, by the end of President Obama's first term.

i had hope in November ... but only a little. now i'm back to thinking about Canada a lot.

I dunno... I just really hope we get a real public option.

I am not upset with the Administration. There are a lot of moves they have done that I haven't liked, but these things like FISA can be reversed either by court or the Administration years down the road, so it's not like I need to be up in a tizzy. If others like Firedoglake want to yell about something, I won't begrudge them.

I am disappointed with Congress' relationship with the White House. At some point they need to get on the same page on big issues. Little issues, they seem to match up alright, so maybe there's some hope.

I am extremely annoyed with the right wing's interpretation/perception of the White House. I expected some racism, sexism, homophobia, insanity, and stupidity, but this is absurd. Hell it's more than absurd, it's damn near 1859 out here. I expected Americans to move forward, not backward in time, but I guess that means the veneer is coming off and we are showing our 'root 0' personalities.

What matters is this: By any metric, are we better off with Obama at the wheel than McCain? I believe the answer is yes. Are we better off with Obama instead of Hillary? I guess so- they have a lot in common. Are we better off with Obama instead of Kucinich? Hmm...I don't have enough data to gauge that. I don't know that much about Kucinich to say if he'd be 'better' than Obama.

Even my 91 year old father, a WW2 vet, who has always been a moderate Democrat, now tells me he doesn't think we're on the road to fascism because fascism is already here. He is incredibly sharp and lucid for his age, and we discuss politics almost daily, and he says the USA now reminds him of the rise of Mussolini and even the early days of Hitler ( but mainly Mussolini), both of which he still remembers clearly.

I'm ready to stop asking whether Obama is GIVING ME what I want. Am I Forcing what I want? Shouldnt I be? Shouldnt we all? Obama needs his ass kicked left, much further than Rahm had intended. If we are going solo, why include luddite poisin pills? GO bold, if you must go alone!

At the Republicans more and more each day.

I want to see ass kicked, real healthcare reform passed,Cheney & Bush tried, convicted and behind bars.

The biggest issues to me are the two wars, and it doesn't sound like we are leaving Iraq or Afghanistan anytime soon. Enough. Let those fucking people kill each other. It's time to bring our troops home.