According to Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen, Barack Obama's biggest problem and the reason for his sagging poll numbers isn't the still-high unemployment rate or the oil in the Gulf, it's that -- unlike the Gipper -- folks just don't know what he's about:
The comparison to Reagan may give Obama cheer, but it is not really
apt. For even in Reagan's darkest days when, according to Gallup, six
out of 10 Americans reported that they did not like the job he was
doing, an astounding six in 10 nevertheless said they liked the man
himself. He was, of course, phenomenally charming, authentic and
schooled at countless soundstages in appearing that way. Just as
important, the public had faith in the consistency of his principles,
agree or not. This was the Reagan Paradox and it helped lift his
presidency.
No one is accusing Obama of being likable. He is not unlikable, but
he lacks Reagan's (or Bill Clinton's) warmth. What's more, his career
has been brief. He led no movement, was spokesman for no ideology and
campaigned like a Nike sneaker -- change instead of swoosh. He seems
distant. No Irish jokes from him. For the average voter, he casts no
shadow.
Leaving Obama's insufficient Irishness aside for a moment, one might expect that at this point, Cohen would provide a comparable likability stat for Obama to contrast with the "astounding" six in ten who like Reagan... but there's a small problem with that. From the writeup of the most recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll:
A silver lining for Obama is that his personal scores are still
strong: 64 percent give him high marks for being easygoing and
likeable, and 51 percent give him high marks for being compassionate
enough to understand average people.
So by Cohen's standard, Obama is also "astoundingly" likable. Maybe the jobs are a bigger deal than the jokes after all.
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